Upon being asked how they would like to be introduced, Victor Pakour and Wyatt Ininns admitted they were not quite sure how to do that themselves – and perhaps that is the best introduction to Ruby Haunt. While the dream pop duo have been putting out albums at a rapid pace since the mid-2010’s, their presence in the reverbed-out DIY Bandcamp scene can only be described as reminiscent of the very music they release: rather subdued and introverted.
Thankfully, their music speaks for itself. This year’s Cures For Opposites is a gorgeous collection of ethereal songs blending synths and gaze in a way few other bands are capable of. While they may be in a state of constant creation with seven full lengths under their belt, the duo found some spare time to chat with Sunnyvale and JesperL (the proud co-founders of Sputnikmusic’s Ruby Haunt fanclub).
This sheer size of the Ruby Haunt discography, some seven years in, might actually be the best place to start: could you describe what your process iss like? How have you gotten to a point where you can release so much music without it detracting from the overall quality of the music?
Victor: We don’t overthink the process or set unrealistic goals. We both love working hard and are very passionate about writing / making music. The feeling we get from making and subsequently sharing demos is so special and I don’t think that feeling will ever change. I think that’s why we have been able to release music so consistently.
The process begins with us sharing a playlist of music that we both are inspired by. From there, we start by writing on piano or drums to get the vibe going. If we get something that feels notable, we loop it until it feels trance-like and then Wyatt will come up with lyrics and a vocal melody. We’ve become much better at judging whether it will be worth putting in the time to finish a piece of music or leave the demo behind. It has to evoke a feeling within us and then we are excited to continue working on it.
That makes a lot of sense: there is definitely a trance-like sense that permeates most of the Ruby Haunt discography. It often feels like songs are detached from yet embedded in the ‘real world’ at once… speaking of, here’s an absolutely earth-shattering question: why have you chosen to release the latest two records on Thursdays? Does it have something to do with Ruby Thursday…?
Wyatt: I had to google Ruby Thursday to be honest. We usually do it just to separate ourselves a little bit from all of the artists releasing projects on Fridays. There is so much music coming out every Friday and we try to avoid getting lost in that avalanche. We have slowly been learning more about strategy but it’s definitely not our strong suit: when we finish an album we immediately start mapping out the soonest possible release date with distribution and go from there. We love writing music and it’s hard for us to start again until the previous album is released so we don’t want to wait too long. We have definitely gotten a bit more patient: when we started Ruby Haunt we would release songs the same day we finished. We do everything ourselves so it’s really up to us and we love that.
We can confirm that the non-Friday releases set you apart: commuting on a random day of the week with a brand new Ruby record to listen to felt incredible. Something else, besides the music, that evokes such feelings is the artwork of your projects. It often perfectly encapsulates the effortless yet beautiful nature of the albums/songs and somehow feels highly familiar. How do you choose these photographs, and what do they mean to you?
Victor: There’s so many talented photographers and with the internet it’s so easy to find amazing photos. It’s hard to explain how we exactly land on a photo we both love, but just like writing music it has to evoke a feeling within us.
Yeah, if there’s one absolute positive to the internet it’s the ability to find new art to enjoy. In true Sputnik style, do you have any music recommendations for us? Some artists that inspire or have inspired your music?
Wyatt: Some bands that have been really big inspirations for us are Bedhead, For Against, Bark Psychosis, Sparklehorse, Early Day Miners, and more modern bands like Beach House, the softer parts of Deafheaven and DIIV. Recently I’ve found I’ve been listening to a bunch of newish British bands like Caroline, Real Lies, Bullion, and Deathcrash. I think we started the band because we really connected with our music taste and were always sharing new things we were finding. Nothing gets me more inspired than falling down the right rabbit hole and discovering new music.
We can definitely relate to that sentiment. Are there any non-musical things that inspire you as well?
Wyatt: We are both constantly sending each other film suggestions. I definitely get the same inspirational feeling to want to make music after seeing a good movie. Not that our music videos are crazy cinematic masterpieces but we love using them as a creative outlet too. Merch, album covers, and tour posters are a fun way for us to stay engaged with design and try to add to the aura we are aiming at with our music. I love having a reason to always be looking for inspiration.
That is a gorgeous and wonderfully Ruby Haunt sentence. In fact, I can imagine many of your fans feel the same way about an inherent drive to stay inspired and continue finding inspiring new art. Do you have any theories as to how people find out about Ruby Haunt, considering you hardly promote the music on social media?
Victor: Honestly, we’ve just put our heads down the last seven years and worked really hard on making music and trying to grow in all aspects in the field because we just love it. We had no idea where music would take us but we just enjoy the process and it seems that everything happens organically. To see that we have fans and people who genuinely connect is so special and even more of a driving force to keep writing.
It’s safe to say that those who discover Ruby Haunt tend to stick with the band as well – possibly the biggest and best indicator of such genuine connections. I, Jesper, remember finding you through my frequent Bandcamp journeys in search for new dreamy music, so perhaps most of your other fans are massive music nerds as well. Speaking of nerd-isms; what Ruby Haunt songs should absolutely feature on a hypothetical Best Of record? Sunny’s picks are Bent, Carrie, and Reverse Creek; Jesper’s picks are Pyro, Prairie Fire and Glider.
Victor: All the songs on Cures for Opposites, haha. I’m pretty hyped on the new record at the moment. I think ‘Diving Bell’ is my personal favourite.
Wyatt: I tend to love the softer, more emotional ones, maybe not the hits. If I had to choose one from every release it might look like this: Past, Crave, Freeway Crush, Fool Proof, Darling, Bully, Cobweb, Splinters, Penny, and Laughing Heart.
Amazing, love the idea of simply putting out a Best Of record that solely comprises the songs on your most recent record. Although that might not be the best marketing strategy… Speaking of albums, what does a Ruby Haunt album mean to you? How do you view them in the ‘story’ of the band?
Wyatt: An album to me feels like a reflection of where we are at at the time. They’re super nostalgic for me and kind of pull me back to when we were writing it. Instrumentally, they show what was soundtracking our day-to-day life. We’ve gone through periods of being obsessed with synthpop, post punk, slowcore, and post rock, and we try to recreate the powerful moments that we could listen to on loop forever. It feels like it always comes out a bit different than our references but hopefully that’s what makes it feel unique or genuine. I don’t know if we will ever have a magnum opus of an album but we will keep pushing on writing music as a creative practice.
That’s all we can ask for. What’s next on the agenda for Ruby Haunt?
Victor: We are already excited about working on a new record. So that process will start happening soon. It’s fun to figure out what the sound and mood will be. Besides that, we are hoping to play more shows in the US and do a potential Europe tour.
The unspeakable things I (Jesper) would do for an Amsterdam show… Oh, yeah, one last thing: who would win in a fight between Sowing and Jom?
Wyatt: I took a quick look at your staff pages and I am going with Jom. Looks like he plays drums and I am always a little afraid of drummers.
That definitely seems like the safe answer. Thank you so much for doing this, we are already looking forward to the new music!
In the meantime, we recommend you listen to the brand new Cures For Opposites and also Ruby Haunt’s entire discography.
