The Venezuelan-born, Indiana-based songwriter Rui Gabriel has released his latest single & video “Change Your Mind,” off of his Carpark Records debut album, Compassion, which got its official release a couple of weeks ago. Made up of equal parts rock and new wave, it’s close to the bone for Rui as he comes face-to-face with his newfound parental responsibilities and the mistake of using his social life as an escape from the duties of fatherhood.
Written just a few months after the birth of his daughter, “Change Your Mind” is about coming face-to-face with newfound responsibilities as one gets older. “I was working a pretty standard office job and going out with my friends once a week right after I clocked out, striving for a couple of hours of the fun I used to have before realizing that I was looking for an escape more than I was trying to unwind,” Gabriel elaborates. “The lyrics are intended to exemplify the kind of person I thought I still was as opposed to accepting a new set of responsibilities that come with fatherhood and leaving old routines behind, even if I haven’t fully succeeded in engaging with my own sense of nostalgia.”
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. 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, as across 10 vibrant tracks he combines ethereal pop with slacker-rock and piano-driven dance music in a galvanizing showcase of personal growth and the grace you give yourself to push forward.
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.
Are you vibing with “Change Your Mind” from Rui Gabriel?
