Ruby Leftstep is a local alternative rock and emo band from New Hartford, Conn., which plays many shows in the area, including in Storrs. For example, they won WHUS Radio’s Spring 2024 Battle of the Bands, making a name for themselves over the years in the Connecticut DIY music scene.
After a string of singles between 2023 and 2025, including the well-received “Shuteye,” the band is back with their long-awaited second extended play: Sept. 19’s “TED.”
The EP starts with “For The Record,” which is a rerecording of a song from the group’s debut EP “The Ground Up.” The rerecording doesn’t change much beyond the guitars sounding a bit different and the drums sounding a bit softer. The lyric about fall leaves are perfect and timely for this fall season, though.
Was this rerecording necessary? It’s complicated, but regardless, this is the happiest the release is going to be. I prefer the original version personally, but this version has its merits.
“Marcelene” is a beautiful song about the tumultuous existence of a depressed and apathetic girl with the same name as the title. Pop singer-songwriter Zoë Coz of Farmington, Conn., adds her vocals to the song in a way that I feel indifferent to. The best part about this song isn’t any of the vocals; it’s the glistening and absolutely pretty guitar work.
“I Told You So” feels very folk-like as it delves deeper into the cognitive dissonance of pretty and relatively happy-sounding instrumentation and downcast lyrics. It could be inspired by someone like singer-songwriter Elliot Smith, who notoriously made music about his mental illness. The lyric “nobody’s fault but my own” stood out and is a sentiment many depressed people carry with them.
The last two songs are where the EP really picks up the pace. In “How Does it Feel?” lead vocalist Dylan Hrinda sings about mutual death between the protagonist and their subject as the song explodes into this beautiful guitar riff. The hollowness of the drums near the end before the final hurrah were a wonderful touch, and the song ends with a solemn but beautiful bang.
The final song, “Garbage,” discusses the dangers of microplastics, pollution and consumerism within the entire the song but with the lyrical leitmotif of “there’s runoff in my garden and there’s plastic in my brain.” It may or may not be a metaphor for artistic slop and junk food that don’t positively contribute to one’s character development or education. This is easily one of the band’s best songs (up there with “Plastic Stranger” and “Shuteye”) and the de facto best song on the entire EP for its potent and creative lyrics and heavy instrumentation compared to the other songs.
I would love to hear Ruby Leftstep explore heavier sonic palettes while still catering to pop sensibilities to suit their depressing lyrics from this EP. The music here is mainly a slow burn that makes me wish there were more ways for the music to grab my attention and be more memorable instead of just pleasant, but “Garbage” is certainly an exception.
I will always be a fan of this band and I want to see them succeed and get the popularity they deserve. Regardless of popularity, let’s hope their first album is full of great melodies and down-to-earth lyrics, as this band has previously established, while experimenting with their sound to stay fresh and exciting.
Rating: 3.25/5
Featured photo from @rubyleftstep on instagram