Ruby Sparks’ Jake Sternberg continues to tease his debut album with “Pleasure,” a buoyant jangle-pop reverie – Beatles-y and radiant – about self-worth, vulnerability, and the hard-won joy in life’s smallest moments.
Stream: “Pleasure” – Ruby Sparks
Nestled amongst the chaos and monotony are the small moments of life where we experience these feelings of love, peace, and joy, and where real meaning is created.
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Life rarely slows down enough to let us breathe, much less to let us feel at peace.
There are weeks when every waking moment feels claimed, when deadlines blur together and rest becomes something you fantasize about, rather than experience. It’s in these moments that joy can feel impossibly far away – a distant island you can see, but can’t quite reach. Ruby Sparks’ “Pleasure” lives in that tension: The yearning for relief, the longing to lay down your burdens and remember what it means to truly feel good. Jangly and warm, buoyant yet bittersweet, it’s a celebration of life’s quiet satisfactions and an acknowledgment of how hard they can be to hold onto.
Feel so stressed out all the time
I’m so tired, I don’t
recognize the man I am
I need a little paradise
Time to escape
from my mind for a little while
Pleasure, pleasure
Why’re you so far away?
Pleasure, oh pleasure
I need a little today…
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Pleasure,” the third single off Ruby Sparks’ forthcoming debut album Iris, out November 5th, 2025. The indie pop project of Los Angeles-based songwriter Jake Sternberg, Ruby Sparks blends ‘60s pop elegance with the melodic punch of 2000s indie rock – think Beatles-esque pianos, bold guitar lines, and harmonies that shimmer like sunlight through leaves. “Pleasure” arrives ahead of Sternberg’s performance at Merry-Go-Round Magazine’s 10-year anniversary showcase this August, and follows the album’s previous singles “Nowhere Man” (a direct homage to The Beatles’ song) and “Dreams.” Produced by Collin Desha (Low Hum) and mixed by Phil Joly (The Strokes, Lana Del Rey, Daft Punk), it’s a rich, glowing pop-rock reverie full of melodic color and emotional nuance.
Bright pianos and ringing guitars set the scene, their easy swagger tempered by Sternberg’s candid vocal delivery – warm, soulful, and just weathered enough to feel lived-in. The melody bounces forward with an almost McCartney-like buoyancy, but the lyrics hold a deeper weight: A meditation on burnout, guilt, and the complicated road toward self-acceptance.
“‘Pleasure’ is my favorite song I’ve written to date,” the artist tells Atwood Magazine. “I wrote it just over two years ago, on the week of my 28th birthday, after one of the most grueling work months of my career. The song explores that desperation and seeks to answer the question of how to find joy amid the most chaotic moments of life. My birthday lands on the last day of May, and I recall burning the midnight oil to desperately reach an unattainable target. This also happened to be the week before I traveled to Hawaii for the first time to be a mentor at the Hawaii Songwriting Festival – a moment that I recall intensely juxtaposing visceral feelings of defeat and pleasure right on top of one another.”
It’s a personal origin story that explains why “Pleasure” radiates such a complex emotional palette: Radiant melodies balanced by an undercurrent of urgency, vulnerability, and release.
“Because of the way I was raised, joy was never an internal reward, but rather something that had to be earned,” Sternberg continues. “For that reason, I always felt an immense guilt for being selfish, and constantly needed to go above and beyond and seek external validation to feel satisfaction or self-worth. It took many years to unlearn these habits and redefine my relationship to ‘Pleasure,’ which continues to be a work in progress to this day. The journey has led to finding the answer in vulnerability and self-acceptance. I have found that the moments I’ve leaned into those feelings have brought me closer to peace despite the discomfort that often comes as a result.”
That tension – between wanting joy and feeling like you need to “earn” it – gives the song its ache, even in its most euphoric moments.
“The song ends with one of the most vulnerable lyrics I’ve ever written – a declaration that I’m worthy of love despite neglecting it for so long,” he explains. “The choice to accept imperfect love for all the joy that it brings is miraculous and something we take for granted. Nestled amongst the chaos and monotony are the small moments of life where we experience these feelings of love, peace, and joy, and where real meaning is created. My favorite moment on the entire album is the harmonized guitar slide solo at the end of the track. I think it sonically encapsulates the feeling of peace and letting go that this song has come to represent for me.”
Old man born in 64
Gave his wife and children
so much more than he gave himself
Grateful for him every day
Life’s too short to live
that way forever, forever
Pleasure, pleasure
Why’re you so far away?
Pleasure, oh pleasure
I need a little today
Sternberg’s words mirror the arc of the song itself, which builds from reflection into release.
The verses feel grounded in the daily grind – the exhaustion, the quiet questioning – while the choruses lift into something freer, almost like the breath you’ve been holding finally let go. “Pleasure, pleasure / Why’re you so far away? / Pleasure, oh pleasure / I need a little today,” he sings, his voice swelling with equal parts longing and hope.
Perfection is the enemy, I keep chasing it
There is poison in my mind (oh oh oh)
Finding pleasure takes some time
It will never come
If you don’t search for it inside, inside, inside
Fell in love with a Midwest girl
Showed me peace, she changed my world, yes, she did
I found out I’m good enough
to be loved by someone
Yes I am, oh yes, I am
There’s a certain irony to how joyful “Pleasure” sounds, considering its roots in burnout and self-doubt. That’s part of what makes it so affecting – it’s not escapism, but transformation, turning exhaustion into exuberance without denying where the weight came from. The harmonized guitar slide solo Sternberg loves closes the track like an exhale, the moment you finally make it to that distant island and let the tide carry you.
Ruby Sparks’ Iris arrives November 5th, but “Pleasure” already feels like its emotional heartbeat – a reminder that joy isn’t always effortless, but it’s always worth seeking. Let this song be your invitation to slow down, look inward, and allow yourself a little kindness, grace, and light – even when the days feel heavy.
Stream “Pleasure” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and watch the song’s lyric video below!
Pleasure, pleasure
Why’re you so far away?
Pleasure, oh pleasure
I need a little today
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Stream: “Pleasure” – Ruby Sparks
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© Camille Smura & Matt Blake
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