Ruto – No Repeats (2021)
Being in a loving relationship with someone is not always an easy ride. This is something that Ruto explores in his single ‘No Repeats’ which tells the story of being in love with someone who suffers from depression and anxiety. Through the love song, he considers being there for someone and wanting to give them everything, only to feel this outside force pushing at you.
Packed with the need to adapt to be with someone you care about, Ruto takes a unique look at relationships and how mental health can affect them. Using his diverse musical style, this self-taught musician brings emotions to an intriguing melodic flow. Playing all the instruments himself, Ruto records his own music as a means of reflecting the growth we all go through in life.
‘No Repeats’ opens with a lo-fi vibe of light guitar notes and twinkling tones moving along clicking beats. The easiness of the opening pauses for a second, before the main melody shimmies into your ears. There is a slightly dreamy feeling to the music with a retro, almost psychedelic, touch to the sound. When the vocals come in, a shuffling layer enters with them, driving the melody forward. The softness of the track swings into a slightly funky tone. The organic and electronic tones of the melody dance over each other, bringing the emotions of the track to sonic glory. The softness is all the affection you feel for someone, while the swirl of tones is the push of their anxiety and depression, forcing you to adapt.
While you float to the lo-fi vibes of the melody, the vocals haze into your senses. They float through the upper parts of the melody like a mist rolling in off the ocean. As the chorus hits, Ruto’s performance rises on the layered melodics. Through the verses, he brings the affection he feels for his partner to life, only to question what he should do on the chorus. There is a light touch of not knowing what to do which is tempered with the deep affection he holds for the person. The lyrics paint the picture of a very different love story that is wonderfully relatable as it hits on topics that are often overlooked.
Ruto uses slightly retro lo-fi vibes to bring a depth of affection to the question of how to show these emotions to someone in ‘No Repeats’. The music has a wonderful softness that swings into slightly funky tones. The vocals are enhanced by the movement of the music while bringing relatable emotions to the soundscape.
