Vex Ruffin is a producer/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist from Chino who has been putting out music since the early 2010s. His most recent effort was an EP in 2017, Conveyor. Now he comes back with another EP, Emilio.

If you’re not familiar with Vex Ruffin, he works in a very minimalist style of lo-fi indie-pop/hip hop. The music often sounds like it was recorded in his bedroom on an old four track, with a couple of cheap mics recording live in the room. At this point in his career, it feels more like a stylistic choice, but regardless, there can be a certain charm to this style of recording if the music is good enough. Ruffin isn’t a virtuoso on any instruments, and he’s not going to blow you away with his vocals, but he still finds a way to make all of this work. He does that by being very clever in his songwriting and arranging, managing to piece together some catchy and fun hooks with just bass, keyboards, vocals, and drum machine. This time around, Ruffin brings in a little dub/reggae to mix up his sound a little bit. There is also a charm to his direct, no-frills messaging, such as on songs like, “Live Your Life Good,” and “Do it Right.” It sounds like a dad singing to his children, but his message is genuine enough that it doesn’t come across as hokey or anything like that. That’s what’s fascinating about this EP, and Ruffin in general – it feels like it shouldn’t work, but through a mixture of charm, cleverness, and earnestness, I somehow keep returning to it and singing along.

On paper, Emilio by Vex Ruffin shouldn’t work, or at least not as well as it does. In practice, though, this is a really fun EP that has grown on me in a short amount of time. Don’t underestimate Vex Ruffin.