Bleep

Press Release

‘Brand New Power’ is the debut album from Ruby Goon. Phantasy have always found its artist family in unexpected corners of the world, and the music of Ruby Goon is no exception. The label’s latest signing unexpectedly emerges from a previously bustling underground of live music in Moscow, formed and led by Ivan Solimani-Leznhev, a strikingly independent and self-determined young singer- songwriter. Colourful and vulnerable, the music of Ruby Goon soulfully blends early psychedelia, glam and indie rock. These influences were soulfully crystalised when studying in the United States of America. Accompanying his father, a television cameraperson posted in Washington, D.C. Solimani-Leznhev found himself culturally removed from his native Moscow, Russia, yet suddenly geographically aligned with an earnest, melodic legacy of rock, rhythm and blues. When Solimani-Leznhev eventually returned to his homeland, he set about recruiting seven multi-instrumentalist friends, each tasked with bringing the particular sound in his head to life. Soon, under his visionary direction, Ruby Goon quickly cemented their reputation and popularity as a live band with a unique, magic touch. ‘Brand New Power’ collects these early works into an impressive volume that documents a body of warm-hearted, mature songwriting blessed with the sort of youthful energy that’s difficult to recapture and impossible to resist; that ‘Brand New Power’ that gives the album its title. Ruby Goon initially came into contact with Phantasy courtesy of the music of Connan Mockasin, an influence on Solimani-Leznhev, and certainly Brand New Power reconnects Erol Alkan’s imprint with a specific strain of outsider music. Still, the realm of Ruby Goon thrives in its own progressive atmosphere, equally resplendent with lyrical and instrumental shades of garage rock and jazz that bathe listeners invited into a warm and deeply personal world. “Being a sound engineer and producer has been my hobby since I was a teenager, and I started writing music when I was eleven-years old,” explains Solimani-Leznhev, prolific since an exceptionally young age. “Ruby Goon represents something different than what I had been doing before; spacier, calmer and with much more melody.” Driven by their founder’s inherent sensitivity and optimism - the Brand New Power of the title - Ruby Goon are not a band to drown in sorrow. ‘Spicy Space Pasta’, less nonsensical than its title but just as imaginative, provides a sci-fi tinted ode to “a space, on earth or otherwise, where the main thing is to have that person who will cleanse all your fears and just be happy.” On ‘Leech!’, Solimani-Leznhev finds empathy for those who have taken too much emotionally, orchestrating a pared down blues-number as poignant as a passing glance on the street from the old friend that inspired it. Effortlessly capturing the energy, camaraderie and beautiful naivety of formative years enriched by music, ‘Brand New Power’ is a memorable introduction to a rare hidden treasure of a band, led by a songwriter of supreme talent.