Kevin Bronson on January 24th, 2022

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Singer-songwriter and visual artist Ruby McGinn releases songs under the name Ruby, calling her tunes “baby music … music made by babies, for babies and for making babies.”

Indeed, her minimal dream-pop, alternately enchanting and haunting, possesses a childlike innocence, both musically and in her seemingly innocent observations. Over the course Ruby’s of late-2020 “Imperfector” EP, she’s staring at a ceiling fan, gazing hopefully at her computer screen, pulling a man from a burning car and guilelessly meditating, “I see the world no one else sees it for me / I understood / They never would.”

Prior to her appearance last month at the Viva! Pomona festival, Ruby released two more singles, made with collaborators Pablo Sotelo (Inner Wave), Roger Hallaway, Caleb Buchanan and Jonathan Colin.

Reminiscent of some of the minimal early songs from Steady Holiday, the aptly titled “Glass” has the lullaby quality of the songs on Ruby’s EP. “Electric Fence,” though, is a light-hearted foray into bedroom disco. Clap along until Ruby’s new cassette release arrives Feb. 5.

||| Stream: “Electric Fence” and “Glass”