Ruby Gill - Some Kind Of Control (2025) Hi-Res

“I need space,” repeats Ruby Gill early into her second album. “Space Love” also pokes fun at male fragility and sneaks in some clever wordplay as the Melbourne-based songwriter fantasises about fleeing Earth altogether. That’s just one of many times that Gill wishes for more agency on Some Kind of Control, including the rousing title track. Originally from South Africa, the singer-songwriter wields a dry vocal delivery that perfectly suits her often painfully funny—or simply painful—subject matter. “Room Full of Human Male Politicians” is especially pointed, while the quirky-sounding “How Chimpanzees Reassure Each Other” is actually a sincere piano ballad about finding comfort in physical touch. Even more affecting is “Touch Me There”, an account of coming out on which Gill admits to kissing the wrong people before accepting her sexuality. As with several songs here, it’s buoyed at the perfect moment by a choir of non-male voices from the Melbourne music community. Yet, for the most part, Gill keeps her focus on sparse piano and detail-oriented lyrics that prove quietly devastating as she zooms out to look at the whole world and then back in to chronicle exactly what she’s feeling.