Rui Gabriel is gearing up for a life-changing summer. Today (April 30), the Venezuelan singer announced his debut album, Compassion, due for release in June. Ahead of the album, Gabriel released his new single, “Summertime Tiger.”
On the song, Gabriel tells the story of a person who is feeling down on their luck, struggling to make the best of their circumstances. Joined by singer Stef Chura, Gabriel offers the person a message of re-assurance.
The song was inspired by Gabriel’s college days in New Orleans.
“‘Summertime Tiger’ is sung from the point of view of someone who is not qualified at all to advise on healthy living, but does it anyway,” said Gabriel in a statment. “The song title is taken from the concept of a ‘regional tiger,’ which is a period of intense growth that countries like South Korea and Ireland experienced at the turn of the 20th Century. Summer is the slowest time of the year for New Orleans and tons of service industry employees tend to both earn less money and work fewer hours, so the idea was that a ‘summertime tiger’ was the patronizing urge to encourage someone to work on themselves during a time when they’re practically unemployed.”
In the song’s accompanying video, viewers see Gabriel and a woman seated at a bar, speaking directly to the watcher. This is juxtaposed with footage of a young boy dressed as a tiger skateboarding through the town.
You can see the video for “Summertime Tiger” above and the Compassion cover art and tracklist below.
1. “Dreamy Boys”
2. “Target” Feat. Kate Teague
3. “Church Of Nashville”
4. “Hunting Knife” Feat. Kate Teague
5. “Summertime Tiger” Feat. Stef Chura
6. “If You Want It”
7. “Change Your Mind” Feat. Kate Teague
8. “Eyes Only”
9. “End Of My Rope”
10. “Money” Feat. Kate Teague
Compassion is out 6/21 via Carpark Records. Find more information here.
