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Thesoundswontstop
  • The Sounds Won't Stop
  • New And Notable
  • Submit Your Music
  • Fresh Weekly
  • Fragile Animals

A Driving but Classic New EP from Ruby 

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A new EP from Ruby delivers a soiree of rock-backed sounds that, at times, reach into a vintage almost '80s pop vibe with unique and classic feeling synthesizers and keys along with this old school hard rock approach that feels perfectly done in terms of its aesthetic, so the record comes through feeling a little edgy, very melodic, but also somewhat nostalgic at times.

 

The self-titled record starts with the track called "26", which is amazingly done and has a great bill that feels like classic rock at its best, into this more pop-rock soundscape, and does so with a seamless transition and this bright and colorful vocal approach.

What's cool about this track is how the vocals are so vivacious and vibrant, but also super honest at the same time.

The singer is doing a great job of pinpointing that line between old and new, but she's also just doing her own thing.

I also enjoy how, at times, the vocals are doubled up, and that makes things a little thicker and beefier when it comes to certain hooks that she performs melodically.

I think this is actually a great track to introduce the EP with because it gives you some of the staples that you're going to hear throughout the rest of the record.

The following track is called "Flashback", and this is one of the songs where you start hearing those vintage synthesizers come into play. This track has a synth bass line, or so it seems, and this feeds into that classic aesthetic super well.

 

You also have overlapping keys that also boast this '80s pop tone, and this works great because the song is rhythmically bopping because of that bass line as it is, but all the extra keys and guitars let the song flow and have this sort of cinematic pop culture backing.

 

Throughout all this, you have live percussion which gives the song a little bit of added drive, but also doesn't just sit in the pocket.

 

It adds a bit of liveliness to the track, but the drumming does that throughout the entire EP, to be honest.

 

I love the feel of live performance that this gives off. It feels like they recorded certain elements of it live in a room so that you have the energies fluctuating between players and feeling really in the moment.

 

To achieve that kind of vibe is not easy, but they really did a great job with it.

 

These songs feel like you're watching a movie from the mid to late '80s or maybe even early '90s, and these songs are part of the soundtrack to that movie.

 

"Chasing Shadows" is another track that both have a similar feel, but this one really does have a different approach and doesn't really burst into any heavier guitars in terms of giving off a rock or hard rock feel.

 

This one's more mellow and smooth, the keys are more like synth pads and the bass drives this song the entire way.

 

This is one of my favorite songs vocally because it taps into certain aspects of how she's able to spend great melodies into expanded spaces.

 

She gives off such amazing hooks, and sometimes they're even in the verses of the tracks.

 

The next track is called "What's Going On", which reaches into a completely different zone if you ask me. This track feels way more indie rock than a lot of the rest of them with clean guitars and this sort of mellow Jazz undertone that still keeps to a slightly cinematic feel but doesn't go as far as some of the other songs do in terms of feeling vintage or classic.

 

I found this to be a bit of a refresher right here in the record, and it was great to hear a track like this in the mix of the EP.

 

The closing track is a robust one, and it's called "Stay With Me". 

 

This one comes right in with rocked out guitars and vocals right from the very first second, so that you're getting a high impact energy level as soon as the song starts.

 

The track has some great little bridges and breakdown sections with amazing guitar work that's melodic and technical at the same time, and feels warm and welcoming.

 

This is a record that perfectly blends color and edginess by creating something that feels familiar and bright while still having those bits of edginess and paying attention to arrangement and composition so that the songs have a great forward moving flow and come through with so many hooks that there are choruses that bounce around in your head for hours after the songs have ended.

 

This was a great record that anyone who loves classic rock or pop of any kind will absolutely adore.

 

Definitely check this out as soon as you can and listen to the EP in full so that you can really soak in all the elements.

 

These songs are pop-rock singles that feel good to listen to and leave their mark.

 

I for one will be keeping an eye on Ruby from here on out, and although this is brand new, I can't wait for what may be coming next from the band.


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