Club Ruby Take Back Their Lives on Sophomore EP ‘Don’t Gaslight Me!’
Deemed “Ones To Watch” by the Aotearoa Music Charts in 2025, Club Ruby today triumphantly share their sophomore EP Don’t Gaslight Me! The Auckland pop-punk group are taking back their lives, creating boundaries, and redefining identity on their own terms in their six-track collection centred around the stages of grief.
“I think growing up is just a slow acceptance of grief that accompanies the shattering of your childhood innocence,” President Ruby (lead singer Jade Lewis) says. “The realisation that the world isn’t fair, and that all the adults around you are winging it as much as you.”
“Being a minority adds even more complex layers,” she continues. “As I explore and come to terms with my own mental health, I realise that I’m not just holding my own baggage, but the weight of my ancestors; and, at the same time, realising how universal these feelings and being human really are.”
The real joy of releasing music for President Ruby, however, is realising she’s not alone in these feelings: “It makes everything worth it.”
Today’s release follows last week’s Asia on-location music video for What My Bones Know. In just one week, it has reached 13,000+ views on YouTube. Filmed across Thailand and Vietnam by Christian Tjandrawinata (who also produced the EP), and made with the support of NZ On Air, President Ruby and Vice President Hon make a long-awaited homecoming to their Asian heritage.
The title of the EP comes from lyrics in You Don’t Even Know, where Lewis sings, “All these acronyms and vocabulary can’t gaslight me.”
“That line is about how I don’t want to be defined by anything, whether it’s a diagnosis, how I look, or any other box.”
With “raw guitars and grit”, Don’t Gaslight Me! hones in on a new sound that still captures the Club Ruby feeling of “ruckus and camaraderie”, while adding more synth elements and even incorporating guitarist Jonathan Meyer and drummer Josh Johnston’s voices. Their stirring gang vocals feature on tracks like Heartbreak Overtime and Lament, with bassist Hon’s guttural screams demanding attention in Shades of You and What My Bones Know.
The EP’s second track, Heartbreak Overtime, debuted in 2025 at #5 on Hot 20 Aotearoa Singles with over 55,000 views on YouTube. It was followed shortly after by the luminous Komorebi, an ode to family roots that UnderTheRadar described as “grungey pop balladry”. Club Ruby debuted an acoustic version of Komorebi at Studio 1 Vintage Guitars. The studio version features standout harmonies by Sophie Gibson.
Club Ruby appeared across NZ student radio in 2025. They were featured on outlets such as Tahi FM, Hype Medium and JuiceTV, and even praised internationally on VietQMedia via their Pho-Resh Friday playlist and the US’ TicketFairy.
They now present a body of work forged through remarkable strength.
Club Ruby are performing alongside Tueskah, DJ Tandra, Louisa Nicklin and Prins at Auckland Live’s Sunset Sounds on Thursday, February 5th in Aotea Square. They will also be playing a DnD music improv show on Saturday, March 21st.
Club Ruby’s sophomore EP Don’t Gaslight Me! is out now.
Photo Credit: Jack Mensah
