We’ve been huge fans of the Ruen Brothers (Henry and Rupert Stansall) since first hearing their Rick Rubin-produced debut album “All My Shades of Blue” in 2018. Fast forward to 2023. We caught up with Henry and Ru to talk about their new single, “The Fear,” a new album, their move from New York to Louisville, and of all things.... onion salt.
It’s been awhile since we've caught up. Quite a few singles have been released since then. We're still loving/playing "What's Come Over You." It's been great to watch your music evolve. Tell us about the new single, "The Fear." There's quite a lot to be afraid of these days. What was the inspiration for the new song?
Initially, it was inspired by the anxiety that surrounded the flooding of Henry’s Brooklyn basement studio, when Hurricane Ida hit New York City back in 2021. Our love for noir films such a ‘The Night of The Hunter’ further inspired us to develop the lyrics and the visual elements that followed. (watch below)
Should we be looking for a new album anytime soon? How about touring?
Absolutely, our new record ‘Ten Paces’ will be released June 2nd, 2023, via Yep Roc Records. You can even pre-order/pre-save that right now! We’ll be hitting the road this year, so keep a look out for announcements from our mailing list, socials and website.
We're big fans of your new label. How's that been working for you guys?
That’s great to hear. The Yep Roc gang are absolutely wonderful people; they’re very talented and have really helped us bring this campaign together. We feel we share their same creative vision. We are big fans of the artists on their roster and are thrilled to be saddled up alongside them - super excited for the journey ahead!
We are really excited to hear that you are moving to Louisville! You have traveled everywhere, what was the deciding factor in relocating here?
It’s wonderful to be here in Louisville, we’ve been settled almost two weeks and are loving the city! We’ve always had a great time visiting to play shows and festivals - such as WFPK’s ‘Waterfront Wednesday’ - it’s a central location for us which makes our touring much easier. Everyone is super friendly and the environment is not too dissimilar from where we grew up in England.
And finally, Henry... what's with your obsession with onion salt? Spill it. (sorry)
Not to spill the salt here but since moving to town I’ve been dabbling in the salt of the onion. I mean it’s just like regular salt but with the added onion-y bonus. I encourage everyone to start dabbling too… Particularly great on crinkle cut fries (none for Ru).
Thanks to Henry & Ru for the update. We’re looking forward to the new album and seeing the guys in their new hometown!