Trophy Wife

Trophy Wife (Ruby Smyth) is an indie rock singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Ireland.  Aiming to harness the energy of the vibrant indie scene in Dublin, Trophy Wife hopes to rise to the top of her game and harness the power of her demographic with an elevated sound chronicling her experiences of life as a queer woman in her 20's.

Drug Dog is a mid tempo power ballad that manages to encapsulate the current Indie Rock zeitgeist. With layered guitars, stacked vocals and hooks left right and centre, Drug Dog brings the listener on a journey similar to most recent releases from Boygenius, Clairo and Snail Mail. A softer departure from Trophy Wife's previous single Scully (link), Drug Dog still packs a dynamic punch as it oscillates between laid back verses and driving chorus' ultimately building to an epic breakdown harkening back to classic rock of the 60's and 70's. Trophy Wife manages to incorporate retro aspects that are quickly coming back into fashion while staying rooted in harmonic aspects of the now to create something fresh and innovative to the ear. Drug Dog is a demonstration of TW's ability to tell stories while sonically always moving forward with her finger on the pulse.
 

"You know when you go to the airport? and there's those dogs trained to sniff out contraband? The first time I saw this I was so amazed I had to write a song about it. I love animals, especially dogs, and how they learn and execute literal jobs is incredible to me. That's where the initial concept came from. Ultimately, the song is about devotion. How that can be such a beautiful thing to build any relationship upon but can quickly turn corrupt if the other person is willing to take advantage of your loyalty. When I wrote the song I felt quite sour about living life with an open heart - I felt hurt, jaded and hard done by - mostly within my own relationship with myself. About a year after I wrote the song, it began to take on another meaning when I lost my dog of 10 years, Cleo. She was my fiercest companion, and helped me to view giving unconditional love and loyalty to those you love and who love you as an incredible strength. Her memory reminds me every day to be kinder to myself and others"

No stranger to the live scene of Dublin's top indie venues such as The Grand Social, Workman's, Whelan's and Soundhouse, Trophy Wife has played many headline gigs and has been included in line ups for "We've Only Just Begun" festival, "Singular artists" and most recently "One's to Watch" In Whelan's. She's also the recipient of TILT's collaborative recording opportunity (With John Barker). Blending the jangle and drive of Snail Mail, the softness and whimsy of Clairo with the grit and edge of Irish favourites NewDad and Inhaler, TW manages to harbour a sound that is decidedly Indie yet definitively unique.

Trophy Wife’s debut EP Art was well received with radio play from RTE one’s John Creedon, Lilian Smith and Fiachna O’ Braoinan alongside 98fm, KCLR, Cork FM and more. Irish media giants such as Hot Press, Nialler9, Goldenplec, the thin air and Trinity News also covered the release alongside online and indie publications.

Between April and August 2023, TW has 3 planned single releases culminating in her sophomore EP out early October. This project promises to be her most ambitious yet, seeing TW lean into the more rock and grunge aspects of her sonic palette while still staying true to the elevated and sophisticated TW sound. Centring around totems of the wild vs the domesticated, the public vs the private as well as complex queer love and loss, this EP is just as thematically rich as its sonics.