To dismiss The Ruby Suns as some sort of wayward Sixties throwbacks is to completely miss the significance of what they’re doing – a classic hybrid of sunny Californian pop with Kiwiana – even what’s got to be the first indie-pop track entirely in Te Reo (Tane Mahuta).

The story’s well documented – McPhun immigrates from California, falls in with the Lil Chief Records crowd and ends up playing with the Brunettes and the Tokey Tones… a kind of rotating roster of like-minded musos drop in and out of the Ruby Suns, but a stripped down lineup record this sophomore release. Not as accessible as their debut, but undeniably rewarding for all its Friends and 20/20-era Beach Boys touchpoints.

Phil Grey

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