Monét Ngo and the R&B indie obsession and sadness of "Ruby Sparks" (Official Video)

 

"there's nothing else to do but fall in love with you..."

From the very onset there is a palpable darkness on "Ruby Sparks" by Vietnamese-American school teacher / artist / singer-songwriter / musician Monét Ngo. It is directly in the trance like jazz dipped chords with the ring of guitar notes creating an airy dissonance. Even in the lo-fi wonky intro before the song blossoms it is there. Monét brilliantly pushes those chords with urgent falling bass notes that make me want to figure both parts to play simultaneously on guitar. Key to the moodiness and melancholy is Monét forlorn vocal aesthetic, also sad and maybe even laced with desperation and loneliness and a beautifully rendered guitar lead (love it). 

The song named after the 2012 rom com "Ruby Sparks", written by Zoe Kazan, is about a writer who writes about his dream girl and when she comes to life, realizes she isn’t everything he thought she would be, is about Monét’s experience of putting someone on a pedestal and projecting these unrealistic standards onto them. "Ruby Sparks" (the song) is easy to get lost in and when Monét pitch shifts down the entire song, it feels like a surreal drunken dream. 

The Official Video as directed by Natasha Abdul feels dream like too, elevating the experience cast in saturated colors and melancholia. 

-Robb Donker Curtius 

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:

https://www.instagram.com/monetngo/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1fEFxSI9yJtuiUipeHuBLw

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Monét Ngo is a Vietnamese-American schoolteacher making the coming of age music he wishes he could’ve listened to as he grew up in San Jose, California. Monét has developed a unique sonic universe by blending indie, alt rock, r&b, and pop-punk influences with climactic song structures. While some of his songs evoke a nostalgic longing for a high-school experience and others simply make listeners want to go outside, the overarching home for Monét's songs is in the ears of those who feel a little lost.

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 Monét Ngo, school teacher, singer-songwriter, musician, artist, creator, R&B indie, indie rock, alternative music, soul pop, lounge punk, "Ruby Sparks", San Jose, Official Video, Natasha Abdul,