In 2020, Rudy moved his homebase out of California for the first time. He was headed East. Somewhere in the back of the U-Haul, among the boxes and baggage, was a mostly finished record. Upon arriving in Chicago, Rudy quickly found the final pieces of his new LP, Closet Botanist. It’s due out April 28, 2023, on Colemine/Karma Chief Records. The album was recorded in Austin, Texas at the Electric Deluxe recording studio. The space is owned and operated by Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas), who helped produce and engineer Rudy’s new LP. “In the past, I’ve done most of my recording in California,” Rudy explained. “The new location changed the vibe. The band and I were 100% focused on the process.” He was born in Los Angeles and spent most of his formative years in Long Beach. “People often tell me my music reminds them of the beach and the sun,”. Closet Botanist isn’t a total departure from Rudy’s roots, but it does sound more mature. “These songs are personal to me. It’s about lost love and lost friendships – it’s more visceral than any music I’ve made before.” Most of the songs were written back in California with the help of Rudy’s previous bandmates. “Tu Mirada” was one of the first songs he wrote in Chicago. Rudy connected with Blake Rhein (Durand Jones and the Indications) during the final weeks of writing. “He showed me a song and asked if I wanted to record it. I hadn’t done that before, but I loved the song. It felt like I had found the missing piece.”