Brighton is currently a fertile hotbed of activity for boundary-pushing artists, and the spirit of the city is perfectly embodied by singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Ruby Taylor, the driving force behind Yumi And The Weather. A mainstay of the scene since her 2013 All We Can EP, Ruby has consistently blended psych-pop, garage rock, electronica, and raw emotional honesty, releasing a string of acclaimed EPs and LPs under how own DIY imprint, MIOHMI Records.

The most staggering thing about Yumi And The Weather is the sheer range of sound. From shimmering indie ballads with spacious harmonies to glitter-soaked dance-pop disco to brooding grunge, few artists move between styles this fluidly and still sound completely like themselves. Ruby’s performances with her band are taut and polished, with immaculate interlocking harmonies sounding like they were recorded for the radio, with festival sets at Green Man, Shambala and Nozstock solidifying her reputation as a force whose live energy easily rivals her recorded clarity.

Her commitment to independence runs deep, having launched MIOHMI Records in 2013 to self-release her music and retain complete creative and financial control, not only releasing her own ambitious work but curating and championing other artists in the Brighton scene, with every release handled end-to-end from production and artwork to pressing and promotion. Her songs have received airtime and praise from BBC 6Music DJs including Lauren Laverne & Guy Garvey, and this Thursday (19th June) she is headlining a charity fundraiser at Alphabet, Brighton to support #HelpMeHelpB, a campaign raising funds for a local disabled woman battling homelessness and life-threatening health conditions.

We caught up with Ruby ahead of Yumi And The Weather’s headline performance at Alphabet this week:

Hi Ruby! Your songs span such a wide spectrum, from surfy spaghetti-western to lush indie-pop to grungy psych. Do you choose the mood first, or do the songs dictate the style each time?

Your songs are really rich with sonic detail. When do you know a song is “done”? Are you a perfectionist, or do you just like to get stuff done?

Has your approach to songwriting and production changed significantly since your first EPs?

Your live sets sound like a studio mix. How exactly do you and your band achieve such an astonishingly tight level of polish?

Can you tell us about the fundraiser you’re headlining this week?

We seem to be discovering a new great band out of Brighton every few weeks. How would you describe the current energy in the city?

Are there any venues, record shops, or spaces in Brighton that you’d like to highlight? How do you think the city has shaped your overall approach?

What’s your most memorable Brighton gig?

What kind of artist grabs your attention as a label curator and makes you want to get behind someone else’s work?

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from running your own label in today’s landscape?