RUUTH - AFTERPARTIES

Ruuth explores the euphoric burnout of an afterparty on "Afterparties"!

There's something particular about an afterparty, a particular feeling. It's kind of glamorous, on one hand, sort of romantic knowing that you're the last person awake in the world. That you're still up getting faded while others are getting ready for work, to go about their normie lives. On the other hand, your buzz is starting to fade, you can feel a hangover coming on. You start to see the beautiful people around you in the gradually brightening daylight, noticing the bloodshot eyes, the crows' feet and sallow skin, dilated pupils speaking to bad drugs and even worse mental states.

RUUTH -AFTERPARTIES

On "Afterparties," electropop artist Ruuth explores these complicated emotions with an upbeat guitar rock/club pop hybrid. Ruuth's deadpan vocals sing of the bleak irony of looking for love and connection in a room where people are looking to be seen more than to see, where real connections might not even be possible in brains no longer able to metabolize Seratonin. Ruuth's take on "Afterparties" seems like it could be a metaphor for the music biz in general, a commentary on the hustle and grind of trying to make it, and the inevitable burnout that comes with it.

You don't need any kind of heavy concept to get down to "Afterparties", luckily. This is indie rock, not a sociological essay. "Afterparty"'s clipped organ riffs and Ruuth's chirpy vocals make light of a dark, heavy situation. It's perfect for your late-night party playlists. We Are: The Guard recommends it. Just remember to pop some Vitamin D after the fact. 

J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.