Following on from the release of their much-loved debut EP ‘Elsewhere’, which has gathered thousands of streams since its release, Atlanta-based outfit Rujen have now returned with their latest shimmering single ‘Tarot’.
With a love and affinity for the indie and psych-rock sound, ‘Tarot’ sees them return in stellar form. Filled with a light and breezy atmosphere, laid-back grooves, and some wonderfully captivating aesthetics, their latest offering showcases them as one to watch over the coming months.
So with the new single available now, we sat down with them to find out more about the new release and what they have in store for us in the near future.
Words by Chris Bound
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Photocred: Christoper Brew
Chris) Hi guys, how are you today?
Rujen) Doing great - been enjoying the change of season!
For those that haven’t heard of you yet, how would you best describe your sound and who have been your biggest influences so far?
I would say we’re in the vein of indie / psychedelic rock.
As far as influences go, we’re all very much into the pop / psychedelic stuff from the 60s/70s ala the Beatles and Pink Floyd. On the more modern side of things, we’re super influenced by bands like Grizzly Bear and My Morning Jacket from a production and songwriting standpoint. We really enjoy stuff that’s experimental but is still in that rock vein.
You have just released your new single ‘Tarot’. Can you tell us how that track came about?
For sure! The very beginnings of this one came about towards the end of 2019 with me (Nick) and Ryan tossing around some iPhone voice memo ideas to each other. Once we had a solid foundation, we started jamming on the idea as a full band. From that point, and with everyone’s input, we finalized the structure.
Vocally, the tune has heavy themes of memory and nostalgia, which were inspired by a time last fall where we happened to get caught up in a pretty insane thunderstorm here in Atlanta. It was a frightening but beautiful moment where we were admiring the calm before the sky just opened up on us.
The lyrics of ‘Tarot’ are sort of channelling that memory as a positive experience and how we’re often reminded of these types of memories in times of need.
We started recording it from home towards the beginning of 2020 and polished everything up over the past few months prior to the release.
And was there a particular style you were looking for when you wrote it?
We didn’t really have a particular style in mind, but we knew we wanted to experiment with some fast paced structural changes outside of a traditional song structure. That idea ended up getting refined until we ended up with the full tune.
The collaborative nature of this band always makes the writing process really exciting. Every idea gets sent through a collective filter of sorts, and none of us ever really know where it’s going to end up.
You released your debut EP last year, but can we expect a new EP, or even an album from you in the near future?
We’re slowly chipping away at our first full-length record!
The coronavirus outbreak has obviously affected everyone’s plans, but what have you got in store for the rest of the year?
We’re super bummed to not be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future, but we’re using our time to focus more on recording.
We’re very lucky to have a home studio space at Creighton & Charlie’s house where we can mess around with whatever new ideas come to mind at our leisure.
And finally, if you could play with any band that has ever existed, who would it be?
Talking Heads. They’re definitely one of my all time favourite bands. I think they always had the perfect balance of weirdness, creativity, and amazing groove. I’m almost positive I would faint from excitement 30 seconds into a jam session with them.