never imagined being on
the Billboard charts, even if
it was just the Heatseeker’s
chart. It’s a personal
milestone for sure,” said
Rubenstein.
At the end of 2015, the band
just finished a European tour
that was grueling on a more
personal level. The Paris
terrorist attacks happened
nearby the day the band
played their show in Paris.
Their tourmates, Closure In
Moscow, were robbed just
the day before in London,
and ultimately, the next
show was canceled. After
that tour, ItO wasn’t really
playing music together,
and its members simply
needed a break—it was the
most trying time in their
professional and personal
lives. Ironically, Rubenstein
needed the outlet of writing
songs, and so he did. When
the dust from the unplanned
hiatus settled, ItO began
writing and touring full-time
again. They decided to press
onwards with a renewed fire.
Whether the fuel was ItO’s
near-breakup jitters or
28
TO N E TA LK
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stro n g er wi n g s // a c hat with icaru s th e owl’ s j o ey ru b en stei n