Ruby – Ruby EP

In the modern music landscape, where the majority of artists and bands deliver the same old, bland, and boring music tirelessly explored by the greats, some acts are breaking all the rules and shapeshifting the boundaries of several music genres to showcase that rock music still has so much to offer to the audience. Ruby is one of those bands that unquestionably knows how to write, compose, arrange, and produce catchy, memorable, engaging compositions where addictive, hypnotic, irresistible ambiance wraps around the listening apparatus and refuses to let go long after it ends. Their self-titled extended play release is more than a rock-solid proof of how music can still sound innovative, fresh, and unique. With five incredible compositions, they remind us that rock music still packs so much honesty, emotion, and power. Lyrically, this EP explores themes such as love, relationships, various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, so it’s highly relatable material that will immediately resonate with the broader audience. Sonically, Ruby combines various approaches, techniques, and music genres to illustrate such lush sonic imagery. Perhaps alternative rock comes to mind first, but you’ll undoubtedly notice how some of the finest properties borrowed from indie rock, classic rock, synth rock, synth pop, and alt-pop found their way into this sonic equation. Perhaps the band fully stacked this material with qualities that meet all the trends of contemporary music production, but you’ll hear how subtle touches of nostalgia lurk around. They explore eighties, nineties, and noughties alternative, indie, and synth aesthetics while keeping themselves grounded in the present. Therefore, these experimentations with various approaches, techniques, and music styles resulted in a marvelous, impressive, one-of-a-kind collection of beautiful songs that will not only appeal to the fans of the mentioned music genres but also to anyone who appreciates cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music.

This epic sonic journey commences with “26,” an excellent introductory piece that perfectly showcases what you might expect from the remainder of the material. The marvelous vocal performance acts as a centerpiece, elevating the entire composition to new heights, commanding attention, and guiding the listener from start to finish. The impressive vocal range seamlessly blends low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse, emphasizing everything Ruby intended to achieve with this introspective song. Besides decorating all those segments and instrumentations, these vocal harmonies contribute more than necessary emotional depth and complexity over an already intricate song structure. You’ll also notice how all those additional vocal layers, back vocals, and sing-alongs spice things up and give more anthemic vibes while the remainder of the band constructs a perfect backdrop for all vocals to shine upon. The synths play a significant role on this self-titled EP, and tracks like “Flashback” serve as a perfect example of how this particular element uplifts particular segments on an entirely new level. The comprehensive collection of catchy, memorable, engaging leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, chord progressions, and other sonic maneuvers continuously lurks in the mix, making this composition even more appealing to the ears. It’s nearly mindblowing how all those layers articulate together without overwhelming each other. The synth works are also vividly hearable in “Chasing Shadows,” yet this number leans much more toward synth pop, new wave, New Romantics waters with its calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal, otherworldly instrumentations. The interplay between various synth layers is also present here, building an atmosphere that immediately transports the listener to another realm. These are the moments where Ruby’s profound love for eighties music shines, and they definitely know how to write and compose songs that resonate with the qualities of the mentioned era.

Songs like “Flashback,” “What’s Going On,” and “Stay” also shine with many impressive guitar works. Whether exploring much calmer, cleaner, reverby moments or more raw, abrasive, gritty, distorted territories, this important instrument brings more detail and aggression when necessary. The amalgam of stunning guitar solos, chord progressions, and riffs never ceases to amaze, immensely supporting vocals and synths throughout the entire material. Still, these guitar works are mostly hearable in those mentioned songs. Of course, this EP wouldn’t sound this good without a rock-solid rhythm section. Beneath all those synth and guitar works, there are vividly hearable, intricate, warm-sounding basslines, rumbling and providing more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth to this material while simultaneously serving as a binding element between the mentioned instrumentations and rhythmic patterns. These low ends are rich, deep, dense, and heavy, offering more power, groove, and detail to these songs. In the meantime, the exceptional drumming performance keeps the remainder of the band in line while dictating groove and pace with cleverly arranged, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics. Every hit of the snare, kick of the bass drum, accentuation over hi-hat, and splash over the cymbals cuts through the ambiance, making this self-titled EP even more interesting. With this material, these Chicago-based rockers prove that this long-evolving music genre can still sound fresh, unique, innovative, and exciting. They poured brilliant ideas, skills, talent, and superb musicianship into each composition, crafting an amalgam that will satisfy even the pickiest listeners. It’s a must-listen for anyone who appreciates cleverly assembled music, performed with heart and soul. The EP is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!