Kaley Rutledge has shared a new single from her upcoming debut album Tender Heart to be released October 15 via Tonetree. “Social Cues” is a melodically bubbling reflection upon the strange, circular, and sometimes entirely arbitrary behaviors we use to buffer human interaction.
Kaley Rutledge is a Nashville-based artist known best for releasing ethereal experimental music under the moniker De Joie. The first album under her own name, Tender Heart is a compelling blend of the cinematic soundscapes and artful arrangements that Kaley’s made her signature, enlivened with an indie pop immediacy and colorful production. The sonically vibrant collection evokes comparisons as eclectic as Cat Power, Feist, Japanese Breakfast, and Sun June.
Thematically, Tender Heart album takes on the myriad struggles of mental health with grace, humility, and compassion. In the infamous year 2020, Kaley (like so many) felt compelled to confront her demons. Having suffered for years from severe insomnia, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic attacks, she enrolled in a 30-day trauma therapy program in the desert, an experience she considers one of the most formative in her life. Leaving the program, she shifted her focus from music to pursuing a career as a Mental Health Therapist. But it was during her enrollment in a Psychology program that a friend of hers took her own life. In the wake of tragedy, Kaley felt drawn back to music for healing. She says, “Losing my friend unearthed a grief that I had never before experienced. It woke me up to the reality and prevalence of suicide in our society. It also lit a fire in me to begin writing songs again, as my friend constantly encouraged me to really go for music with everything I had. In a certain sense, I felt I had to finish this record for her.” Read the full album bio here.
