This song definitely should come with a warning. Ruena (also spelt RUE•NA) returns with her newest scream anthem “Just Because It Breathes” and bloody hell, this track gives you a kick like an angry mule, straight between your eyes, no mercy and no holding back. Such power, such raw anger, so many emotions from despair and fury to shame. Have you ever fallen for a human demon? I’m sure we all have, but Ruena is no longer keeping skeletons in her closets or in the dark corners of her pasts. She hangs them all to dry and I’m very happy to say it’s hugely therapeutic.
Single cover by Ruena (self-portrait)
I wish this song existed when I was a teenager. I have fallen for so many individuals, women and men alike, who treated me so horribly that they left deep scars on my psyche. Romantic partners and false friends that took advantage of me, even when I had very little, drained me out of my time, passion, love, energy, kindness or generosity. One person stole something important from me and then lied about it when confronted, another beat me so badly that he broke my arm and left me abroad to fend for myself. Even after many years, when I think of what happened to me at certain moments in my life, I feel my blood pressure rising and I have a huge urge to kick something very hard across the room.
We can call those people by many names: narcissists, abusers, villains, thugs, but they are in many cases our relatives, parents, siblings, best friends or lovers – people closest to us whom we trust. Yet they act so cruel, so brutal, so sadistic that we truly wonder, are they even human beings? And this is what Ruena tries to determine in this song. Just because somebody walks, talks, breathes, it doesn’t mean they are behaving like a human being. Ruena calls them human demons and this is a pretty accurate label. There is this absolutely brilliant quote from William Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest”: “Hell is empty and all the devils are here”. Evil is not residing somewhere in a mythical “hell”, it’s actually all around us, and sometimes inside of us as well. Humans are capable of great acts of heroism, sacrificing our lives to save others, but they are also able to carry out a genocide, we can watch live on current TV.
I do not know the circumstances that led Ruena to pen “Just Because It Breathes”, but I understand how badly she was hurt and let down. Nobody writes songs like this without having a part of their soul permanently destroyed. The worst thing is not even being abused, or beaten or lied to – it’s the shame victims have to deal with afterwards. Feeling guilty is a very common psychological response. Survivors often report self blame for not acting differently, not doing something that would have prevented the trauma from occurring, not being good enough or strong enough to save themselves. They feel weak, inadequate, inferior and sadly many are convinced they were responsible for what happened to them. Society often has more sympathy for the abusers than for the victims furtherly contributing to their shame and depression.
I think with the release of “Just Because It Breathes”, Ruena is trying to change the narrative. She proves that nobody should repress their feelings: be it shame, anger, fury or even despair. Going through different emotions is actually healthy and normal. This is how the healing process starts. If you want to howl at the moon, do it, if you feel like punching something, go to the gym and beat the holy crap out of the wavemaster. Fancy a retreat far away from everyone – take your time and heal your wounds in absolute solitude, in the middle of a forest if you have to. There is no single right away to deal with your pain, just do not hide it, spit it all out.
Beautiful rage photoshoot by Bradley ‘Chewy’ Dove-Dixon
“Just Because It Breathes” stands at 3 minutes and 21 seconds. It’s very melodic, mid tempo, with beautiful clear vocals in the refrain, and semi-spoken passage at 2 minute and 14 seconds mark. A super earworm, this track already received multiple plays from national radio stations. Genre wise, I would classify it as a metalcore crossover with elements of alternative rock, nu metal and groove metal with some delicate pop influences. Ruena throws a fantastic shriek in there too, cause why not! Machine Head’s “Davidian” meets Poppy and Spiritbox’s “Circle With Me”.
“Just Because It Breathes” establishes Ruena as a powerhouse on the independent British scene. Give her a year or two and you will see her performing at the biggest festivals. There is something very special about her so if she plays near you, go and see her. “Just Because It Breathes” is our track of the week – highly recommended.
You can follow Ruena on socials:
https://www.instagram.com/itsruena
https://www.tiktok.com/@itsruena
https://www.youtube.com/@ruena
https://soundcloud.com/ruena-music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Btaoma2Brz3niCfr4gRJQ
Rita Dabrowicz
Indieterria 
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