Rui Gabriel

Today, the Venezuelan-born, Indiana-based songwriter Rui Gabriel announces his debut album, Compassion, out June 21st via Carpark Records, and presents a new single/video, “Summertime Tiger.” The announcement follows the release of his single from earlier this year, “Target.” The track features backup vocals from Stef Chura and is co-produced by Nicholas Corson (The Convenience, Video Age), and the video was directed by Zack Shorrosh and Jimmy Whispers. Additionally, Rui announces US tour dates this summer in support of Compassion.

The inviting and perceptive songs on Compassion all tackle growing up. It’s about how the older you get, your priorities shift, friendships evolve, and responsibilities become inescapable. For Gabriel, the changes in his own life, primary among them becoming a father, inspired him to write a solo full-length that sounds like nothing the indie rock journeyman has done before. Across 10 vibrant tracks that combine ethereal pop with slacker-rock and piano-driven dance music, it’s a galvanizing showcase of personal growth and the grace you give yourself to push forward.

“‘Summertime Tiger’ is sung from the point of view of someone who is not qualified at all to advise on healthy living, but does it anyway,” explains Gabriel. The song title is taken from the concept of a “regional tiger,” which is a period of intense growth that countries like South Korea and Ireland experienced at the turn of the 20th Century. Summer is the slowest time of the year for New Orleans and tons of service industry employees tend to both earn less money and work fewer hours, so the idea was that a ‘summertime tiger’ was the patronizing urge to encourage someone to work on themselves during a time when they’re practically unemployed.”

Rui Gabriel’s journey to become one of indie rock’s most vibrant and perceptive voices is certainly unconventional. Born in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, Gabriel had always wanted to be in a band. After attending high school in Nicaragua, he ended up in New Orleans for college. “When I got there, I realized the school was full of kids who were all in bands,” says Gabriel. “Just being around these other artists gave me the confidence to try and do music.” After writing songs with his band Yuppie Teeth, he formed Lawn with Mac Folger and Nicholas Corson in 2016 and released three albums – 2018’s Blood on the Tracks, 2020’s Johnny, and 2022’s Bigger Sprout – receiving raves from the likes of Stereogum, VICE, and Bandcamp. And while that band finds the sweet spot between sing-a-long power pop and bracing post-punk, Gabriel’s solo debut Compassion uses a lighter palate that combines ethereal pop with ‘80s synth textures, and slacker-rock charm. The LP is a testament to growing up and Gabriel’s disarming lyrical sensibility.

Work on Compassion started in 2018 when Gabriel was living in New Orleans. “I was living a pretty teenage life in many ways,” says Gabriel. “I worked at a pizza restaurant and would just go to shows or parties. I wasn’t doing anything other than music. I didn’t have many responsibilities.” The songs he was working on at the time—tracks that didn’t fit Lawn but Gabriel still liked—initially went unfinished. But as Gabriel’s life changed, so did his songwriting and his desire to see his ideas through. “When I was writing lyrics, I was settling down with my partner and about to become a dad,” says Gabriel. “I was making choices about my life that contradicted the existence I had before. I had a different set of priorities.”

The songs on Compassion deal with youthful carelessness and coming face-to-face with newfound responsibilities. It’s consistently a biting, observant look at getting older thanks to Gabriel’s unique perspective as a South American immigrant who’s lived across the United States for the past 13 years. “When you are Hispanic, English isn’t your first language, and you’re in a music scene with a bunch of white people, you’re going to stand out a little bit,” he says

Compassion is a reflection of Gabriel’s playful and inviting songwriting but it’s also a collaborative masterclass. Alongside Corson, Gabriel is joined by The Convenience and Video Age’s Duncan Troast, Kate Teague, Stef Chura, and Lawn’s Mac Folger. To Gabriel, the LP is an undeniable document of personal growth. “Compassion is me saying goodbye to the mentality that I had before and hello to becoming an adult,” he says.