Ruston Kelly – Releases ‘Heaven Made the Darkness’ An Unreleased Track from The Weakness Recording Sessions

Ruston Kelly’s

“Heaven Made the Darkness” Is a Bold Declaration of Hope, Vulnerability, and Empathy

Unreleased Track from The Weakness Recording Sessions Out Today

On Tour Now with Noah Kahan

Ruston Kelly shares “Heaven Made the Darkness,” a new, previously-unreleased track that was written and recorded during the sessions for his critically lauded 2023 album The Weakness. Listen to it HERE or by clicking the image below.

Kelly, who has candidly shared his struggles with addiction and sobriety, sends a powerful message of encouragement, empathy, and communion on “Heaven Made the Darkness.”

I know you’re afraid now

You’re feeling like a little kid 

Like you can’t find a way out

And you’ll always feel like this

So let me come over

Remind you of the little things

Like your head on my shoulder

When we listen to the church bells ring

Maybe heaven made the darkness

So we could better find paradise

Don’t you dare give up when it’s hardest

That could be the moment you get it right

He notes, “I’ve found that hope can appear in what would seemingly be unlikely places, but if you look closer you can see it’s not unlikely at all. The little things, the simple things, the things I can daily take for granted are what I’ve found to be the largest and most luminescent sources of hope. Just knowing someone loves you contains enough goodness to completely revitalize a worn-down spirit. You just have to be present to remember that. And at the end of it, pain will always be dwarfed by love.”

Kelly (vocals and guitar) is accompanied on the track by producer Nate Mercereau (guitar, bass, drums, guitar synthesizer, sampler, mandolin, slide guitar) and Carlos Niño (percussion).

The track is the first of what will eventually be released as a collection of b-sides and alternate album tracks, slated for release in 2024.

Praise for Ruston Kelly and The Weakness:

“Kelly’s strongest project yet.” Nashville Scene

“The album’s dozen songs, propelled by his Americana and pop-punk tastes, thread the tension between downbeat and shimmery” The New York Times

“The Weakness is Kelly’s most expansive album yet, playing with indie and emo rock sounds.” NPR World Café Words & Music Podcast

an album filled with catharsis. After a period of loss and growth, Kelly emerged with an album of unreserved, hope-laced self-reflection. His candid songwriting reflects a sense of rediscovery and resilience laced with sharp humor.” Consequence

“Kelly’s talent for juxtaposing the life-or-death tale of his addiction and sobriety with mundane experiences of the everyday has led him to two – and now three – excellent records.” Holler

“In baring his own experiences, fighting through weakness and pain to draw on his own strength, Ruston Kelly created an album that turns his own experiences and the layers of his own existence into a universal message laced with hope.” No Depression

Kelly is currently on tour with Noah Kahan. A full list of dates is below.

Ruston Kelly Tour Dates

9/12 Kemba Live! Columbus, OH

9/13 Saint Louis Music Park, Maryland Heights, MO

9/15 TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park, Indianapolis, IN

9/16 Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, Sterling Heights, MI

9/17 Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON

9/29 Credit One Stadium, Charleston, SC