A lot can change in the life of a musician in four short years. While evolutions in style are a given reinventions like Ry Cuming’s reincarnation as RY X is the sort of drastic overhaul that is less common.
The musician’s journey from the alt-pop rock of his 2010 self-titled debut album to the European success of last year’s Berlin EP as RY X, it is a transformation that belies belief in the same way that a Biggest Loser finale does.
How do you go from being a one-time Sara Bareilles (responsible for the insufferable ‘Brave’) collaborator wallowing below the mainstream to a musician that only a few years later seems confident in his indie sensibilities?
The answer comes from the name of the breakthrough track of his debut EP: ‘Berlin’. While Cuming was raised in the beachside town of Angourie the singer has spent almost a decade overseas in both California and the creative hot spot of the German capital. While folk seems hardwired into his DNA, much in thanks to his origins and time spent in LA, the edge of his newfound sonic style has undoubtedly been derived from Berlin’s electronic house scene.
It can be heard most ostensibly on his project with Adam Freeland and Steve Nalepa who released an impressive LP of moody electronic rumblings just weeks ago as The Acid (You can read our review of their SITG sideshow here). While his debut EP as RY X is more folk than it is electronic its atmospherics and maturity is what separates him from the Australian scene or in other words; just being another Matt Corby (they both sing in a similar tenor vocal range).
And yet while RY X’s four track EP breezes by a little too quickly the early minutes of his Splendour In The Grass sideshow demonstrated just how much Berlin and his collaborators have shaped the musician.
By beefing up ‘Shortlines’with thick reverberating beats the singer and his onstage partner captured the audience’s attention from the outset. Along with the track’s striking guitar chords RY X sounded more like The xx than it did his cited influence in Jeff Buckley.
Although how the singer-songwriter would retain the audience’s captivation with just three known RY X tracks left was another matter.
He somewhat bravely opted to play ‘Vampires’ and his biggest hit in ‘Berlin’ within the first half of the set just to make things interesting. And while a mellow take on the singer’s collaboration with Frank Wiedemann in ‘Howling’ helped bulk up his set list the rest of the night was made up of new material.
In a sense it was an “organic way” to share fresh music as Cuming insisted and while there was some slight chatter throughout tracks (ironically as he sang “I’m in your head” repetitively) he mostly held the enamoured gaze of an audience transfixed by those angelic vocals.
“I forgot how fucking cool Melbourne is” uttered the musician who could be forgiven for being fairly pleased with the solid turnout after receiving relatively small recognition in his birth country. Just as having the talented Banoffee perform a tight opening set probably didn’t hurt either.
While much of his material was either of the sentimental folk variety that matched the few candles that decorated his stage at other moments he employed throbbing beats as an antidote to what could have otherwise been a dull affair.
With just one EP to his name RY X’s Howler show could have easily been just that. Yet much like the city of Berlin his music has been coloured by electronics. For years the musician might have been known for his incredible voice, but now he has an arsenal of projects, collaborators and worldly experience to take him from being just another singer-songwriter to an Aussie expat worth crowing about.
Check out our full gallery of RY X’s show at Howler here.
