Having tied the marital knot years earlier, Anglo-American pair Ruth and Brookln Dekker came together musically in 2006.
They called themselves Rue Royale. “We wrestled with the idea of starting a band together for some time,” admits Brookln. “It’s proven transformative.” Since then, they’ve released 3 albums and a handful of eps. Having worked with a couple of small indie labels, Rue Royale have largely worked in a DIY fashion, marking up the map with tour after tour.
In October 2014, at the close of their Remedies Ahead tour, they hit pause on touring in order to have a child and to write and record their fourth album. “We also needed a break. We were feeling pretty worn down after spending the brunt of the last 6 to 7 years on the road,” recalls Ruth.
“Naively, we thought this would be a restful period,” confessed Brookln. “Instead, the realities of anxiously waking up at home with no tours planned, the insecurities that come with being rookie parents and a growing, self-imposed pressure to write and record something meaningful, proved to be a turbulent period.”
2016 sees the band return with Single Eye and an Echo a 6 song e.p.. Textural, rhythmic and colourful; this batch of songs wields confidence. “We’ve worked tirelessly on these songs. We’re all wrapped up in them. It’s been a fruitful season and we have recorded an e.p. and an album. We feel like we were really able to push the boat out; writing in a new way and working with a wider range of sounds and rhythms. Even enlisting Sean Carey (Bon Iver and S. Carey) to play drums, piano and more,” says Brookln. “We’re really proud of these songs and how the recordings have come together,” agrees Ruth.
The band plan to release Single Eye and an Echo in July 2016 followed by the album, yet to be named, in the early months of 2017.
From page one of the Rue Royale story, they’ve enjoyed a direct relationship with their audience. Rue Royale are now in the midst of a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to release the e.p. and album independently, continuing the DIY route intending to earn every single follower.