New Orleans, Louisiana emcee/producer Ruby da Cherry back with his 3rd EP. Blowing up as 1/2 of the $uicideboy$ alongside his cousin $crim, they’ve built up an impressively extensive discography over the last decade & even have their own Virgin Music imprint G*59 Record$ with an ever-growing roster of artists.Tragic Love Songs to Study to & Existential Hymns for the Average Sigma were both enjoyably carefree punk EPs from Ruby, continuing towards that direction Coping Strategies to Combat the Algorithm.
After the “¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (Shrug 3)” intro, the first song “End of Summer 2005 (Started Off as a Tropical Depression)” talks about how life sucks & riding it out until his last day whereas “VCR Eject Button (It’s Time to Grow the Fuck Up)” after the “where y’at duckboy? [6]” interlude admits to feeling he’s been in Hell for years. “Moldy Memories (Peer Pressure Turned Me Into a Diamond)” after the “where y’at duckboy? [7]” interlude was great easycore single with additional influences of melodic hardcore, emo-pop & skate punk fighting until the war’s over leading into “Kino Der Toten” after the “where y’at duckboy? [8]” interlude ends by choking on his thoughts.
Almost a year & a half since Existential Hymns for the Average Sigma came out already, I can’t be mad at Ruby for putting out Coping Strategies to Combat the Algorithm simultaneously alongside $crim’s 4th album Via Crucis that also dropped today & only days before Duckboy’s 37th birthday. And while I personally find myself enjoying Via Crucis more, I still respect Ruby for throwing it back to his Vapor-Rats days. This one has a prominent easycore vibe with melodic hardcore, emo-pop & skate punk undertones in as opposed to the heavy skate & pop punk vibes of the last EP.
Score: 3.5/5
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