SXSW Highlight: The Ruby Suns
By Seraphina L.
After hearing the nonsense that was Uffie, I went over to I Guess I’m Floating’s day party over at Love Joy’s for The Ruby Suns. The line was a bit long though, and I was afraid I was going to miss their set. However, after I settled in with a beer, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they had not even gone on yet. The Ruby Suns, another band hailing from New Zealand, is definitely a band that should be on anyone’s to-see list. Although they are considered an indie pop band, The Ruby Suns give off an Animal Collective/Miike Snow vibe, and for such a crowded and stuffy place, they pulled off a great performance.
It was nice to see band member, Ryan McPhun, on stage again doing his own thing outside of The Brunettes or The Tokey Tones. The Ruby Suns excel in staccato rhythms but also know how to take it down with some ambient tones. In fact, one of their songs even had a festival goer believe that it was Washed Out (who was up next) playing instead. (If they had heard the upbeat songs played first, they would have known that there was a vast difference in style.)
