Aldus Santos Launches New Alter Ego St. Ruin, Drops Debut Single “Uncool” — Listen
This marks the writer-musician’s first recorded output since neo-folk rock and indie outfit Pamphleteer’s 2022 double-A-side Two Novellas.
ALDUS SANTOS (ST. RUIN): Photographed by Iverson Escalona
ALDUS SANTOS (ST. RUIN): Photographed by Iverson Escalona
Writer-musician Aldus Santos enters his newest musical project, St. Ruin, kicking it off with his debut single, “Uncool,” released through Lilystars Records.
Santos is best known for his work with aughts-era group The Purplechickens and neo-folk act Pamphleteer.
“Uncool” is the first single off his forthcoming EP, A Cocktail Called Last Word, a project that he describes as “a grief journal in audio.” The EP is slated for release on October and marks his first recorded output since Pamphleteer’s double-A-side Two Novellas in 2022.
“You’d think it would be weird to get back on the horse and put out new music and launch a new alter-ego in your 40s… but not really,” Santos shares. “A poet doesn’t stop hurting past a certain age.”
Acting as a love letter to the departed, with “its verb tenses volleying between a pretend present, a protracted past, and a poignant future,” as Santos describes it, the song was written for his only brother, who passed away from cancer in 2023.
“Uncool” also features performances from bassist Yan Bagay Cruz (Bayang Barrios, Joey Ayala, Abby Clutario) and drummer Dave Cruz (Blind Stereo Moon), while electronic artist-producer kvtvlv contributes synth and sound design to the track.
Listen to “Uncool” below:
Apart from making music, he has also written about music for publications including Rappler, NME, Billboard, and Rolling Stone.
Santos also wrote Alternate Endings, which chronicles the Eraserheads’ 2009 ‘The Final Set’ concert, as well as The Demo Versions, a crossover between criticism and autobiography.
He also co-wrote the acclaimed Eraserheads: Combo on the Run documentary, which traces the OPM rock legends’ humble beginnings and journey toward their monumental 2022 reunion concert.
Frequently Asked Questions
St. Ruin is a new alter ego from writer-musician Aldus Santos, previously of The Purplechickens and Pamphleteer. It debuted with the single “Uncool” via Lilystars Records.
“Uncool” is a grief-driven love letter to Santos’s brother, who died of cancer in 2023, moving between an imagined present, a lingering past, and a hopeful future.
The EP releases in October — Santos’s first recorded output since Pamphleteer’s “Two Novellas” in 2022. He calls it an audio grief journal.
Santos fronted The Purplechickens and Pamphleteer, and has written for Rappler, NME, Billboard, and Rolling Stone, plus authored “Alternate Endings” and “The Demo Versions.”
Bassist Yan Bagay Cruz, drummer Dave Cruz of Blind Stereo Moon, and producer kvtvlv, who handled synth and sound design.
