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Photo: Michelle Grace Hunder

Some of the worst growing pains come in the form of friends drifting apart and relationships changing or ending. What is even more frustrating is watching someone you love deliberately head down the wrong path. Capturing these troubling feelings with his signature upbeat sound, singer-songwriter Ruel is back with "You Against Yourself," the first single from his upcoming debut album.

The nineteen-year-old artist shared that this track “is about someone in my life who has lots of self-destructing qualities. It’s about that feeling of reaching out to them to let them know the direction they’re heading in isn’t healthy and even though it seems like there’s little hope and you feel helpless, you’re still rooting for them.” 

Although the inspiration behind the song sounds slightly dreary, the track is a high-tempo, high-energy exploration into finding the right way to communicate how to get someone the help they need. In an accompanying music video, we see the British-Australian pop-R&B singer hosting an intervention party, complete with a "Happy Intervention" cake and banner. Belting out his frustration, the chorus rings “Stuck in the thick of it (Ooh) / God, aren't you sick of it by now? / Not just a little bit (Ooh) / It's always you against your— / Selfish ways are suffocatin' / I can't save you now / Oh, why's it always you against yourself?” If you haven’t listened to much of Ruel’s music yet, "You Against Yourself" is a perfect example of his masterful ability to take heavy topics and make them approachable through his infectious sound. 

Ruel hasn’t said exactly when his debut album is dropping, but he recently tweeted that "we're getting a whole lot closer" to an album announcement than fans might expect. 

Watch the "You Against Yourself" video below: