It’s always a fun day when a local band releases a new single. It’s even more fun when that single is a surprise release, which is exactly what Ruby Leftstep did on Friday, Feb. 21. The New Hartford-based alternative rock band announced the release of their latest song, “Bitter End,” while performing in Storrs at The Dog P0und, their first release since “The Comedown” came out this past October. The track is a continuation of the bright, jangly-alt rock sound that has defined the band, and the results are spectacular.
The four-minute track opens with a few seconds of people chatting and laughing, setting the scene presumably at a party. The music properly starts with some muted guitar chords while singer Dylan Hrinda jumps in with the vocals, where a sense of place is established with the opening line “There’s way too many people in here.” This is a common scene for college students, making it easy for the listener to immediately immerse themselves in the song.
The lyrics then zoom into what appears to be an interaction between the singer and someone at the party, presumably a romantic interest. It seems to be an emotional one, shown in the line “I feel the passion burn like cigarettes.” As the party continues around the two, where “the scene pours out into the street,” the pair are still focused on each other. Hrinda observes that “In through the window we’re so picturesque, don’t we make such a pretty scene?”
There’s a certain nervous energy during the first half of the song as Hrinda delivers the lines with twinges of uncertainty. This is on full display with the repeated line “Is this where I’m meant to be, am I getting warm?” This is complimented musically by a mid-tempo arrangement that features held-out sustained guitar chords in the choruses and shorter, staccato hits between verses. The music absorbs the listener with a sound that makes them feel like they want to sink into it like a bed after a long day.
Around the two-minute mark, the main beat stops, giving way to a solo guitar arpeggio by lead guitarist Thom Busemeyer. The arpeggio leads into a build-up section, a technique that the band has mastered and maybe does better than any band in Connecticut right now. Eddie Dahill’s drums slowly fade back in with deliberate tom-tom eighth notes pushing the section towards its dynamic peak, ending with cymbal hits before going back into the main riff.
The second half also brings a lyrical shift to the song where Hrinda directly addresses his counterpart. The lyrics take a more serious shift than before, shown in the line “Well I have you now and so unaware, Brooke had died on a folding chair.” Now, I don’t know who Brooke is, but you can interpret that this is a friend of who the singer is talking to that committed suicide. This is a tough loss to grapple with and Hrinda fully understands that, saying “I found out what you’re living in and there’s no way you’re coming home.” As he sings these lyrics over the buildup, Hrinda continues to hit higher notes, matching the intensity of the band behind him.
Similar lyrics continue after the buildup where Hrinda continues to hit high notes, but is now accompanied by the band playing at full volume behind him. This section also features a trumpet part, adding a countermelody to the vocals. After briefly going back into the main riff, the band wraps up with three final hits, with Dahill’s cymbals ringing out into silence at this abrupt conclusion.
Like the band’s previous work, the production is once again impeccable. It’s rare to hear drums sound that good in a song that’s self-produced, but Dahill and the band have become masters at it. The layers of guitars and bass never become too much for the listener, instead covering them in a warm blanket of sound. It’s a great entry to the band’s ever-growing list of dynamite singles and they’ve shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Rating: 5/5 Leftsteps