Ruby Dear opens their self-titled debut album by unleashing two minutes and fifty-six seconds of hip-shaking indie rock. The passion heard, and felt, in “You’re the Lure” sets the tone for the seven tracks that follow.
Singer-guitarist Jenny Founds’ powerful voice flourishes amid melodically jangly chord progressions.. Brothers Jon (drums) and Jesse (bass) Braun are a dynamically tight rhythm section that complement Founds’ fierceness.
On the standout track “Roam,” the Brauns successfully play with tempos as Founds keeps pace, navigating the space in between the melodies with a Florence Welch-meets-Jenny-Lewis vocal flair.
Among the band’s strongest traits is their ability to smoothly change up tempos without any jarring shifts or transitions; highlights include “Contender,” “Hours and the Home,” “Blue Nights” and acoustic-tinged “Out of Your Mind.”
The album closes with the spacey, David Bowie-inspired “Fine Life.” The song crescendoes with a killer sax solo as Founds sings, “If we’re all just made of stardust, then we’re already mostly dead, constellations covered in cities, seize the moment wile you can” (which may just be trippiest stanza this side of “Moonage Daydream.”)
Ruby Dear is a solid and impressive first outing from the Bethlehem trio; a well-balanced collection of unbridled rock ‘n’ roll.
Ruby Dear is available on iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, Amazon Music, and Google Play.