Ruen Brothers have shared “Bullet Blues,” the latest single from their upcoming Western Noir-influenced album, Ten Paces. Due June 2 on Yep Roc Records, the album is currently #1 on the AMA / CDX Top 5 Most Added Album Chart. Ten Paces features “Bullet Blues” along with previous singles “Don’t Know What’s Come Over You,” “The Fear” and “Slow Draw.”

“Bullet Blues“ is a timeless stripped-back track featuring wailing vocals accompanied by pensive piano, sci-fi synths, and twangy guitar, as they muse about the hope of fixing a broken relationship. Serving as the album’s emotive pinnacle, its Western-influence never falters, with metaphors woven throughout the song likening a relationship to a duel — one that starts off intimate and conversational before crescendoing towards the final round.

The accompanying video, both shot & self-directed by the Ruen Brothers, captures that emotion beautifully, using only a projector, and a single-frame shot to cast lyrics like captions. “We felt the music stirred emotions similar to watching the credits roll on a sad film,” explain the brothers. “Similar to Wim Wenders’ use of color in Paris, Texas we injected striking reds and blues – associated with love and heartbreak – to heighten the emotion within the song’s chorus. It’s the only music video from the album that isn’t wholly black and white.”

Ten Paces was produced by Rupert, seeing him deftly preserving the quality and authenticity of early recording gear and techniques while achieving a unique sound. It was recorded on opposite sides of America, where they currently reside: Rupert crafting the base of the recordings from his Los Angeles studio with Brooklyn-based Henry laying down acoustic guitar and vocals. Throughout Ten Paces, Henry’s dynamic four-octave range is on display with him jumping between octaves in songs where emotions are highest, reflecting his love for Roy Orbison; and using his lower octave range to create a grounded and conversational feel, true to the laconic and hard boiled characters of the West, reflecting his years of covering Johnny Cash songs in British pubs.

Much of the cinematic sonic ingenuity found throughout the Ten Paces was born from a turbulent period of bad luck and good fortune. After the pandemic canceled their live music gigs – including a promising tour with rising alt-country star Orville Peck – the duo turned to writing music for film. Since 2020, they’ve penned songs for films like Blumhouse’s Adopt a Highway, Netflix’s award-winning rom-com The Half of It, and the full score for the indie feature Going Nowhere. “There’s commonly a void between songs, score and sound design,” notes Rupert. “We wanted to take some steps toward merging them with this album.”