Named after an Auckland in-joke (Christopher being a metaphor for the ''awkward hormonal menace from when you were young and foolish and eager for everything''), the group's fourth album (and third from Seattle label Sub Pop Records) comes across something like a John Hughes film.
A coming-of-age tale filled with almost embarrassing angst and over-the-top emotion, and caked in a dense, sugary production style, Christopher is supposed to mimic frontman Ryan McPhun's childhood.
According to his label, that means that after a childhood spent in nerdy isolation, hiding in his bedroom with his guitar while his older sister hosted high school parties in their parents' home, after leaving home and splitting from his long-term girlfriend and band-mate, McPhun has stopped thinking so much and joined the party.
The party, though, isn't quite what McPhun had expected: his crush just kissed that other boy, and now he's walking home blasting kitsch, synth and R&B-infused new wave power ballads to ease everything over.
Produced by engineer Chris Coady, who has worked with acts such as Beach House, Grizzly Bear and Gang Gang Dance, Christopher is polished to an almost blinding sheen, and it's ear candy at its most unapologetic.
The band has been touring as a streamlined three-piece overseas (McPhun, Alistair Deverick and Bevan Smith) but for this series of New Zealand release shows, they'll be bringing along some friends to flesh out the arrangements.
The band will also bring along on the tour new interactive visuals designed especially for them by Kiwi/American Mike Lemmon.
• To celebrate the release of its new album, Shadow Light, seven-piece dance roots outfit Tahuna Breaks plays at Sammy's tonight after a four-year hiatus.
Inspired by UK dance scene producers Crazy P, who also worked on the material, the new album was mostly self-recorded, with the band spending hundreds of hours experimenting and tweaking the 10 tracks.
Taking in funk, reggae and soul, Tahuna Breaks first formed five years ago and has since released two albums and appeared at local festivals Big Day Out and Homegrown.
• Feastock promises to be one the best days Dunedin music can offer, and the official afterparty at Re:Fuel has a line-up packed with local favourites and infrequent homecomers Brown and the Blue Onesies.
See them
• The Ruby Suns, Christopher album-release tour, with support from Boycrush and Guests, tonight at 9pm at Chick's Hotel, Port Chalmers. $10 presale tickets available from www.undertheradar.co.nz or $15 at the door.
• Tahuna Breaks Shadow Light album-release tour, tonight at Sammy's Dunedin (Crawford St). $20 with your Radio One card, $25 without. Tickets available from www.eventfinder.co.nz. Shadow Light is out now and available from tahunabreaks.com.
• Feastock Official Afterparty with Jungle Fari, The Maine Coons, Oleh, The Blue Onesies, Alizarin Lizard, Julian Temple Band and the Fu King, tonight at Re:Fuel, Dunedin. Tickets available at the door from 7pm.
