Ruston Kelly has released ‘Waiting to Love You’, the final track to be shared ahead of his new album, Pale, Through the Window. The full record is now confirmed for release on 12th September 2025 via Rounder Records, with pre-orders and pre-saves available now.
The new single is described as a “sweeping, sing-along-ready love song” that was originally written back in 2016. Reimagined with his touring band and featuring his father, Tim “TK” Kelly, on pedal steel, the track joins previous releases ‘Wayside’ and ‘Pickleball’ in previewing an album praised by Rolling Stone for chronicling a “spiritual transformation”. Kelly will support the album with a headline tour this autumn and winter, with tickets on sale now.
Speaking on the single’s long journey, Kelly explains its new-found relevance: “Me, Jarrad, and Jon originally wrote this song to pitch to other artists, but at the time, the sentiment was not something I resonated with. Fast forward, we’re listening to the resurfaced demo, and I’m sitting next to the woman I wrote a lot of this album for, realizing immediately THIS was the missing song that pieced it all together.”
Read the official press release in full below:
Ruston Kelly has released “Waiting to Love You,” the final pre-release offering from his upcoming album Pale, Through the Window, out 12th September 2025 via Rounder Records. A sweeping, sing-along-ready love song that transforms a long-shelved co-write into a soaring declaration of devotion, the song was originally written in 2016 with longtime collaborator Jarrad K and songwriter Jon Green. It sat in the vault for years — until Kelly found himself in a place where its refrain finally rang true.
Me, Jarrad, and Jon originally wrote this song to pitch to other artists, but at the time, the sentiment was not something I resonated with. Fast forward, we’re listening to the resurfaced demo, and I’m sitting next to the woman I wrote a lot of this album for, realizing immediately THIS was the missing song that pieced it all together. A kind of capstone statement I’ve never lyrically made before.
Reimagined with Kelly’s touring band, “Waiting to Love You” swells with pedal steel (played by his father, Tim “TK” Kelly), propulsive drums, and a full-hearted, anthemic chorus. It joins “Wayside,” “Half Past Three,” and “Pickleball” as early highlights from Pale, Through the Window — an emotionally expansive and spiritually grounded collection capturing Kelly’s season of renewal, joy, and hard-won peace. Praised by Rolling Stone as chronicling a “spiritual transformation” and “a powerful shift,” Pale, Through the Window is produced by Jarrad K and recorded live at his Chateau Noir studio, blending Kelly’s sharp lyrical introspection with ambient textures, pop-punk energy, and the warmth of his longtime road band.
Kelly will take “Waiting to Love You” and the rest of the new record on the road this fall and winter for the Pale, Through the Window headline tour, with dates including AmericanaFest, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, New York’s Bowery Ballroom, Los Angeles’ Troubadour, and more. Full routing and tickets available now at rustonkelly.com.