Ruthven Announces Debut Album ‘Rough & Ready’

South London artist Ruthven (real name Sean Nelson) has announced his debut album, ‘Rough & Ready’, out October 25th via Paul Institute/XL Recordings.

Coinciding with the album announcement Ruthven has shared the album’s first single, ‘I Can’t Go There‘, alongside a self-directed video, made in collaboration with his wife Francesca Nelson and shot by Josh Renaut.

“‘I Can’t Go There’ is a bit of a “will they, won’t they” love story,” Ruthven shares. “The tune of the song has a really fun energy to it but there’s a slightly colder message that runs through the lyrics. I wanted the video to reflect this juxtaposition. I worked closely with my wife, Francesca, on the creation of the video. She’s a creative herself and this was the first time we’ve done a joint project like this together. Amazing collaborative energy throughout. I became nearly as obsessive with putting this video together as I do when I’m creating music.”

Ruthven is synonymous with the Paul Institute, a label and creative incubator founded by Jai and A.K Paul. In between shifts at the London Fire Brigade, Ruthven wrote the foundations of ‘Rough & Ready’, a play on how Ruthven is pronounced – “Rough’n”. Across the 12-track project, the singer leans into classic songwriting tropes whilst mapping out a retro-futurist sound.

Of the his debut full-length, Ruthven says: “A central theme to the album is playfulness. So many genres inspired me in making this album. It’s partly jazz-influenced but I was profoundly inspired by Prince. That era, including yacht rock artists like Michael McDonald and Steely Dan, deeply influenced me. I admired their songwriting and musicianship, which seemed universally recognised as exceptional. Being a former wedding band musician, I always wondered how their music had a timelessness to it, and that’s what I tried to capture here.“

He continues: “Some songs on the album, like ‘Don’t Keep It to Yourself’, were initially an upbeat funk tune, but it has evolved. Unfortunately, I lost much of my early material, pushing me to create even stronger work. I found working with Anup (A.K. Paul) was helpful. We would crack up in the studio over some of our decisions, the musical segues, and flourishes. That infectious fun energy became a core component of the album, a reminder that music should always be fun.“

Ruthven will perform his debut headline show at Peckham Audio on October 25th. Tickets go on sale on Friday August 23rd. For more information or to buy tickets, visit ruthvenready.com.

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Photo Credit: Francesca Nelson