BROAD HORIZONS
Ruby Suns’ Ryan McPhun shares a few favourite things
Aperformance at Auckland New Years Festival Wondergarden will wrap up a busy year for Ryan McPhun, the musician behind indie-pop band The Ruby Suns. He released a new album, Sprite
Fountain, in June and played shows with a band across Norway, where he lives with his family. In September and October, Ryan toured Europe solo, and worked on several other projects — including his first music video — when he wasn’t busy looking after his daughter.
An avid traveller, Ryan was born in the US but started The Ruby Suns in 2004 after moving to Auckland, before moving to his girlfriend’s home of Oslo a few years ago. He believes these changes in scenery have affected the sound of his music, as he found the space and instruments he needed to write the new album.
“When I first came to Oslo, I had an old synth, a guitar and an Eventide Harmonizer effects unit, so all the songs started out with these few elements,” he says. “I didn’t have anywhere to make noise so I was travelling to Copenhagen where I could record drums at my friend’s studio until I met some Norwegians who had a spot I could borrow.”
Ryan says the Scandinavian idea of “hygge” — defined most simply as a prioritisation of all things cosy and comforting — has become important to him since moving to Norway, as “half the year is dark and cold, so it pays to have a nice spot to come home to”.
He aims to release another record next year and attempt to “diversify the diet” of his daughter, but until then he’ll be defrosting from a sub-zero Norwegian December with a trip to New Zealand.
He says the things he’s most looking forward to about playing Wondergarden at Silo Park — alongside Nadia Reid, SWIDT, Chelsea Jade and Unknown Mortal Orchestra — are “checking out the great line-up and hangin’ with buddies”.