It's been seven years since South London's Ruthven debuted as one of Jai Paul and A.K. Paul's two original signees to their own Paul Institute label (along with Fabiana Palladino). Now, after several setbacks including a lost laptop containing his original demos, the firefighter-turned-alt. R&B/soul-pop musician – whose real name is Sean Nelson – is finally ready to release his debut album, Rough & Ready.

Due 25 October via Paul Institute's partnership with XL Recordings, the 12-track album features the previously-released "123 Days", "Don't Keep It To Yourself", and "Have You Decided?", alongside latest single "I Can't Go There", which Nelson describes as "a bit of a 'will they, won't they' love story."

Watch the video co-directed by Nelson and his wife Francesca below:

In a press release accompanying the album announcement, Nelson emphasised the importance of playfulness in his music – something he credits A.K. Paul for helping him bring to the fore, saying "We would crack up in the studio over some of our decisions, the musical segues, and flourishes. That infectious fun energy became a core component of the album, a reminder that music should always be fun."

Many of the songs on Rough & Ready evolved from original sketches made by Nelson during downtime between fire truck callouts, sometimes changing quite drastically. Its influences run deep, too, combining classic, narrative-based songwriting with more adventurous touches:

"So many genres inspired me in making this album. It’s partly jazz-influenced but I was profoundly inspired by Prince. That era, including yacht rock artists like Michael McDonald and Steely Dan, deeply influenced me. I admired their songwriting and musicianship, which seemed universally recognised as exceptional. Being a former wedding band musician, I always wondered how their music had a timelessness to it, and that’s what I tried to capture here."

Having toured extensively with Sampha last year, Ruthven is finally ready to make his headline debut with a release day show at London's Peckham Audio. Tickets are on sale now.

Rough & Ready tracklist:

1. Cautious
2. Indulge
3. Don’t Keep It To Yourself
4. Itch
5. Thru The Walls
6. Afterglow
7. 123 Days
8. POV
9. Space = Time = Money
10. I Can't Go There
11. The Window
12. Drive It