Christopher

Working with producer Chris Coady (Beach House, TV on the Radio, Grizzly Bear), Ryan McPhun has completed The Ruby Suns' transformation into a high-tech electro-pop project with both mainstream and indie impulses. Had the album not been released by the esteemed independent label Sub Pop, there might arguably be no consideration of indie whatsoever, considering how grand these songs sound from start to finish. There's nothing here that dumbs itself down in any way or preys upon mercilessly cloying hooks. The sound is intelligently arranged and super-glossed, while the pumping beats are clearly meant for big dance floors. Any remnants of the lower-fi bedroom-demo feel of The Ruby Suns' early works have been expunged by layers and layers of spaced-out goodness. "In Real Life" takes on a hard-hitting groove and a bass-enhanced flow that brings the chorus into focus. "Desert of Pop," like much of the album, tweaks between the '80s and the 21st century.