Splitting up with people is basically rubbish, isn’t it? When Ruthie left her partner in Berlin and returned home to start over in Leeds, it inspired a triptych of singles, each charting the stages you go through at the end of a relationship. This post reviews all three of the singles, and concludes the one she’s just released, ‘Land of my Lover’ is by far the best.
The first song, ‘What Kind of Woman’ talks about the quagmire of questions wrapped up in deciding whether to leave. Will this get better? How will we unpick our lives? What will other people think? All of it ultimately boils down to one question: what will I think of myself if I do this? A dreamy 70s folk song, it has a lot of notes that circle each other without going anywhere fast. A musical reflection of how we dicker when balancing the hope of a more joyful life against the certain pain of change.
‘Spirit Now Moves’ is more upbeat and has a clearer direction, as our heroine makes a new start. “The quiet voice inside of me, I’ve had since I was young, it will make me new, it will make me new,” she sings, as she ‘rips out the roots’ of her old life to build another truer to who she is. More cheerful than the first, it has a faintly 80s vibe: Strawberry Switchblade for the recently heartbroken millennial.
‘Land of my Lover’ is the third and best of these singles.
More thoughtful, still dreamlike, it tussles with the best and most terrifying aspect of being alone: that everything that happens in your life is now up to you. The first single asks the question, “What kind of woman would I be?” The last single answers it: “its up to me.” It has the same dreamy quality as the Twin Peaks soundtrack married with Paul Simon’s intelligent lyrics. The first two songs in the triptych probably speak most to the recently heartbroken. “Land of my Lover” speaks to everyone.
It takes bottle to start over, so I’m pleased Ruthie’s doing well. These songs deserve listening to. Her work is getting radio play from Radio 1, 6 Music, BBC Introducing, Beats 1 and Amazing Radio, and is on Spotify, Amazon Music and iTunes. Add her to your playlist.
