Seven years ago, Jai Paul and his brother A.K. Paul began their Paul Institute label by releasing two singles from London-based unknowns — one from Fabiana Palladino, and the other from Ruthven. At the time, Sean Nelson, the London singer and producer who records as Ruthven, was serving as a firefighter and working on music in his spare time. Now, he’s getting ready to release his debut album.

Since making his Paul Institute debut with his single “Evil,” Ruthven has been releasing new tracks, and he collaborated with dance duo Overmono on their single “Gem Lingo (ovr now)” last month. Today, Ruthven announced that his LP Rough & Ready will arrive this fall, just a few months after Fabiana Palladino dropper her own excellent self-titled album. Rough & Ready will include Ruthven’s previously released songs “123 Days” and “Don’t Keep It To Yourself,” as well as his brand-new track “I Can’t Go There.” It’s a slight, satisfying jam, and I like the idea that this guy is the Ka of bedroom R&B. Here’s what he says about the LP:

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 recognized 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.

While still a firefighter, I created many early sketches for what would become Rough & Ready. “Don’t Keep It To Yourself” was 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.

“I Can’t Go There” is a bit of a “will they, won’t they” love story. 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 and his wife Francesca Nelson directed the “I Can’t Go There” video; check it out below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Cautious
02 “Indulge”
03 “Don’t Keep It To Yourself”
04 “Itch”
05 “Thru The Walls”
06 “Afterglow”
07 “123 Days”
08 “POV”
09 “Space = Time = Money”
10 “I Can’t Go There”
11 “The Window”
12 “Drive It”

Rough & Ready is out 10/25 on Paul Institute/XL Recordings.