RULER Premieres New Single NOT YOUR FRIEND From Debut Album

Ruler, the project of Seattle-based musician Matt Batey (best known for his work with Rocky Votolato and Cataldo), is premiering the new single "Not Your Friend" alongside the track's video at Under the Radar. Under the Radar raves that "Not Your Friend" "beautifully captures the emotive current of the Pacific Northwest indie sound," while noting that, "built on the principle coming from poet Robert Frost that the best way out is through, Ruler's music is deeply personal."

The single comes in the wake of the band signing with Seattle's Barsuk Records for their debut full-length record; additional information about the album to come shortly.

Most recently, Ruler premiered the single and video for "Easy Life" with PopMatters, who raves that "with [Batey's] idiosyncratic vocal delivery at the forefront, perched beside the catchy ebb-and-flow of his musical arrangements, the tunes he's churning out under the moniker [Ruler] are decidedly fresh and exciting."

Of the group's previous single "Complicated Mind," KEXP notes that "with Ruler's latest single...we can now pore over just how expertly crafted Batey's songwriting really is." KEXP goes on to hail Ruler's "totally life-affirming live shows." Listen to "Complicated Mind" at http://blog.kexp.org/2017/10/26/kexp-premiere-ruler-complicated-mind/.

At 30 years old, Batey is already a seasoned veteran of Seattle's high-achieving music scene. The Montana native arrived 12 years ago intent on tapping into the city's longstanding creative legacy and immediately joined a band seeking a singer-songwriter-frontman. Buoyed by genuine instrumental chops but a streak of bad luck, the band toughed it out gig after gig, EP after EP. In four years Batey wrote more than 120 songs, songs he says nobody heard. Combined with his talent and ambition, these songs propelled him out of the collective setting and into solo territory. Finally on his own, he picked a name that felt triumphant and playful; a fist-in-the-air kind of name. Ruler would be all Matt Batey.

Check out the music video!

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