This is the 2nd solo EP from New Orleans emcee/producer Ruby da Cherry. 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. Budd dropped his full-length solo debut A Man Rose from the Dead in the midst of the COVID-19 to mixed reviews & as Ruby comes off Tragic Love Songs to Study to earlier this summer, he’s back at it with more Existential Hymns for the Average Sigma.

After the “¯\_(ツ)_/¯” intro, the first song “Excalibur” is a punk rock opener with Ruby singing that he knows he’s gonna find a way down the line whereas “I Was a Teenage Nihilist” following the “where y’at, duckboy?” interlude features faster instrumentation talking about the nihilism he faced as an adolescence. “Pearls Are Just Oyster Puke” after the “where y’at, duckboy??” interlude continues to take things heavier assuring that he’s still breathing & after the final “where y’at, duckboy???” interlude, the final song “Heroin As a Recreational Activity” is a punk rock closer talking about his past drug addiction.

tragic love songs to study to was a solid way for Ruby to properly introduce everyone to his pop punk alter-ego because he continues to delve further into the world of punk rock music recalling back to his Vapo-Rats days. His vocals & songwriting are still on point, but I noticed a couple heavier instrumentals in comparison to the previous EP last summer & it has me wondering if he’s gonna dabble with metal music in regards to his next solo EP.

Score: 3.5/5

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