Sheffield’s Ruiz! has risen from the ashes of illness to present one of the most diverse and creative tracks this reviewer has heard in a long time.
The introductory funk of bass and samba drums already gives you the idea that this track is going to go places. At first Ruiz!’s vocals felt out of place, but once the harmonies and additional instrumentation (including 60s psychedelic sitar-style production) the vocals fell into place.
The whole song itself falls nicely into place with instruments galloping over each other and vocals swimming around each other in their harmonies. Somehow this onslaught of rock ‘n roll instrumentation works well together and upon multiple listens your brain is being sent in different directions.
You want to dedicate your listening time to each individual instrument as it’s impossible to take it all in together. You would think you’d want to understand a song in one listen, but the diversification isn’t punishment here, it’s a window into the creativity that Ruiz! has.
The break in the latter half of the track which is essentially just the vocals is a delightful moment of reflection from everything you’ve just heard. It shows how the voice is one of the most important instruments in a song of guitars and drums clambering over each other for survival.
Upon his time out of music due to covid-related illnesses, Ruiz!’s respite has given him powerful creative juices inspired by multiple genres. 5 Second’s topics revolve around positivity out of a bad situation. It definitely feels like a personal and reflective piece and I hope to see the same standard of creativity and versatility, also the variety of instrumentation from Ruiz!