EP REVIEW: Ruru - Far Out
“I love my blankets”
Bedroom pop is easily the most oversaturated genre of music today. Birthed from the wave of DIY artists creating music from the comfort of their homes by utilizing whatever limited equipment they have, the homey sound quickly became the defining aspect of bedroom pop. Ease of access in making music is always good, it just has to accept and factor in the expected decrease in quality. That decrease is made evident with the homogenous sound of almost every bedroom pop artist tackles, despite the broad sonic palette available for bedroom pop artists to utilize. Various influences coming together to be wasted in forming an overall uninteresting song has led to the now-established negative notion of bedroom pop being a breeding ground for bland music; where artists hide under the guise of “chill” and “aesthetic” ideals. To compensate for the often static sound that permeates across the genre, songwriting in bedroom pop relies on the personality of the act. A captivating personality behind the songwriting department can easily breathe life into the bedroom pop sound. Enter Ruru’s new project, Far Out.
Ruru is a Manila-based bedroom pop artist influenced by rnb, alternative, and her introspective thoughts making its way in every track she writes. Far Out is proof of her being completely in tune with her intrapersonal state, and how she can channel it in her songwriting. However, this is in contrast to the fact that the sound itself can fail to engage some listeners. The fact that her voice is of the generic breathy “unique indie girl no one understands” is already enough to turn off a certain amount of people. Add the quirky vowel intonation and she might just show you bananas and avocados in her kitchen, or at least put you off even further with vocal lines that conflict with the instrumentals associated with some of the songs in this EP. The production is a cut above most bedroom pop albums, with the electronic percussion never failing to sound like an auditory ear massage. But just like the intimate songwriting, the production ends up being a double-edged sword. Each track ends up sounding too similar to one another, burying most of the highlights in between the numerous dull moments. Tracks like “Coco” and “Far out” are examples of this frustrating duality that exists in all tracks: great production marred by a middling vocal performance, a lack of good ideas, and an atmosphere of lethargy. All these elements hindering every good quality the individual songs might have. This exists in all tracks but one.
”There You Go” is by far the best track in the EP, leagues above the other songs in every way possible. This track gets a special mention just for how forward-thinking this song is bedroom pop. Bedroom pop is a generally minimalist sound, artists utilizing the limited resources they have to make music while compensating with their songwriting and personality. Bedroom pop artists that have more resources would often try to fuse several genres and instruments together, creating a more maximalist sound further removed from bedroom pop. Rex Orange County and Car Seat Headrest, once given the proper tools, moved away from the barebones composition and transitioned to a fuller sound. “There You Go” utilizes the few resources used by Ruru to write a track that is minimalist in its roots, while reaching the sonic grandness the ideas of maximalism offer. The purring/snoring in the background and the backing vocals both appear only for a short while but that short span of time is more than enough to make their respective presence felt, and further drive the song. Her voice actually works to elevate the song, with the lines sung in the higher register being a timestamp for guaranteed goosebumps. This is a song that could be written with a more grandiose instrumental, but perfectly captures the essence of the grand with the simple.
Overall, this is a short but front-loaded EP. It’s akin to covering yourself in blankets: there’s nothing much inside, but it’s pretty roomy and intimate at the same time.
[review written by sopas]
SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST: https://rutheday.bandcamp.com/album/far-out