released their debut studio album, Ruby

In October 1990, The Killjoys released their debut studio album, Ruby , which was co-produced by Mark Woods and the group. AllMusic ‘s Stewart Mason opined that “Burley has a cool, detached voice that sounds just right over [Pilkington]’s strummy acoustics and muted trumpet. [Schwerkolt]’s dreamy vibes are the group’s other main sonic signature, adding a lovely texture to nearly every song.” At the ARIA Music Awards of 1991 Ruby won the ARIA Award for Best Independent Release . As the group celebrated on a Sydney ferry, Schwerkolt accidentally dropped the trophy into Darling Harbour . Burley explained “She was really upset. She’d actually taken it off Craig because she thought he was too drunk. They hired a diver the next day… he couldn’t find anything.”