Going all the way back to their earliest EP (Point Dume) and single (“Aces”), both released in 2015, the Ruen Brothers have fused a variety of musical genres (a little rockabilly here, some country twang there, a touch of alt-rock) into a unique sound drenched with atmosphere. The brothers have gone even further into the mystic to create their moody and evocative new album, Awooo.
Originally from Scunthorpe, England, Henry and Rupert Stansall now reside in Louisville, Kentucky, a city they relocated to to immerse themselves in the local musical heritage. While nothing on Awooo might sound explicitly like Kentucky bluegrass, it’s infused with a dark mood that could clearly have been influenced by the tradition that emerged from Appalachia decades ago.
The Ruen Brothers are a self-contained unit on Awooo, pretty much doing everything themselves. They’ve co-written all the songs, other than a cover of J.J. Cale’s frisky “Mama Don’t”. Henry is the lead vocalist, with a voice that might evoke comparisons to singers like Roy Orbison, Chris Isaak, and Orville Peck, although he doesn’t sound exactly like any of them. Henry also contributes acoustic guitar and percussion.
Meanwhile, Rupert has produced the album, sings backing vocals, and plays all the other instruments, which include electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, programming, synths, bass, percussion, and even a glockenspiel. The combination of influences and environments the Ruen Brothers have experienced leads to Awooo, an album that can be described as both “spooky Americana” and “sparse alt-pop”. It’s a combination that Henry and Rupert manage to keep intriguing throughout.
The spare opening track, “Can You Face the Water?” gets Awooo started on a melancholy note, with Henry singing, “Darling, can you weather / A thousand leagues of pressure? / Can you face the water?” “Mama Don’t” livens up the proceedings a bit. It is then followed by the quietly intense “Sitting at the Station”,” which features some noirish electric guitar and lyrics that provide the album’s title. “Poison Down the Line” opens like a classic Orbison song, almost exclusively focused on Henry’s singing before it unfolds to become the most infectious pop tune on the record.
Another highlight, “The Cabin on the Hill”, is possibly the most complex song on Awooo. Like many songs here, “The Cabin on the Hill” is a slow burn, but it gradually builds to a musical moment during which a chorus of dramatic backing vocals surrounds a guitar solo by Rupert. The opening lyrics – “In the night / In the cabin on the hill / A light will burn until / Sine until you come home” – are an apt description of the nighttime vibe Awooo evokes throughout.
The after-dark feel continues with “Bonfire”, in which the narrator sits in the basement after midnight, contemplates all the paperwork surrounding him that he should burn. Given the general mood of the album, it’s no surprise that ghosts show up at the end. “Seeing Ghosts” finds Henry intoning, “You’re seeing ghosts if you’re seeing me.” It’s an appropriately ghostly ending to the thoroughly haunted Awooo.