Kicking My Feet - Ruel

By Eva Sawdey

Ruel’s sophomore album has not only graced his fans with beautiful vocals and instrumental compositions, but has helped Ruel with navigating what kind of artist he wants to be. While the album is only 30 minutes, each song is a unique experience, leaving the listeners wanting more. His first album, 4TH WALL, felt more built up and performative. While his debut is still a great listen, the writers behind the two records feel like different people. Letting go of figures in his life, highlighted in 4TH WALL, switches to yearning and admiration in his sophomore album, Kicking My Feet. The second album feels like a more personal narrative than his past works. This could be due to the authenticity of the lyrics pertaining to his own life. In 2023, Ruel was interviewed by Abbie Chatfield regarding his inspiration for songwriting. He shared that he will take movie scenes and build a world around that interaction. Additionally, many songs that started out with a sad tone would end up as breakup songs. The first album isn’t entirely dishonest, but Ruel’s sophomore album feels more like something he wanted to say. Opposed to the inspiration process from the first album, Ruel “wanted to be [himself] and say what [he] truly mean[s].” In the album trailer, Ruel talks about his approach to writing as, “I wanted to forget everything I knew about songwriting and start from scratch as a brand new artist.” Listeners can hear him starting fresh in Kicking My Feet.

‘Only Ever’, the first track, is a bass and drum heavy song, introducing the album with an angsty start. The song’s chorus encapsulates feelings of infatuation and longing; “Come and take me to where you are” is an obsessive way to say “I want to be around you.” The bassline adds a creepy feel, so the lyrics can be interpreted as Ruel expressing his codependency and stalker-like obsession with the subject. However, towards the end, an 80s style keyboard switches to the backbone of the song and the bassline changes to playing the melody. This helps the first track feel more honest in how genuine love can sometimes make people feel crazy and obsessive. ‘Only Ever’ sets the narrative of the album, with a majority of the record being love songs. 

The fifth song on the record is ‘Not What’s Going On’. This song tells the story of someone trying to get over a loved one, ultimately accepting the fact that they still have feelings for them. The melody of this song is playful and uplifting, which is highlighted in the post-chorus, with the addition of angelic vocals and synthesisers. These components help create a peaceful conclusion of how it’s okay to not be over someone. The lyrics are also far from resentful, which may be expected when trying to move on. “Not tryna see your face / I close my eyes and see you anyway” shows how the conflict is in their own head, and they don’t feel aggression towards the other person. Opposed to other moving-on-songs, this one has a lighter and more forgiving twist. 

‘Destroyer’ is a beautiful song about guilt and having to do something difficult in order to protect yourself. What makes this song so special is that it’s not talking about a romantic relationship, but someone Ruel used to work with professionally. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Ruel explains, “I didn’t realise I could let people go.” As hard as break ups are, having to let go of a friend is a horrible pain, especially if it’s better for both people. The lyrics in this song are so powerful, conveying the hurt Ruel felt having to let this person go. Even the title of the song, ‘Destroyer’ is such a strong adjective to describe anyone, let alone yourself. Listeners can feel the guilt from Ruel’s perspective, even though he wasn’t the only one to blame. The verses rely heavily on the vocals, with a mostly quiet and raw instrumental. In doing so, Ruel emphasises how he wants the lyrics to be heard, as if this is an intimate conversation between him and the other person. The chorus then builds with a metallic bassline, heavy drums, and smooth synthesisers, conveying the pain of having to let go of a friend. The dichotomy of the bassline and synthesisers within the song helps convey this internal conflict and pain felt.

One of the singles off the album, ‘The Suburbs’, is one of my favorites on the record. Highlighting the little things, Ruel explains how all the fancy things life has to offer fail in comparison to a simple, even mundane, life with this person. “If we could leave the world behind and set up camp / livin’ the simple life” explains how he would be perfectly happy with that person forever. Additionally, “Never thought I’d be that person / but with you it sounds like paradise” makes the song even more endearing, as if it’s this person in particular that brings these thoughts out. The music video for this song includes short features of Ruel’s girlfriend – the two of them keep their relationship private on social media, so her appearance in the music video elicited a positive response from fans. 

The album title track, ‘Kicking My Feet’, shows a different side to love than the first song, “Only Ever”. The instrumental chord progression feels like a classic love song, which pairs with how this track represents the giddy feeling of a simple, uncomplicated love for someone. Instead of using overused phases of admiration, Ruel uses nicher sayings, making the song feel more personal. “Why would I fall just to hit the ground at the finish?” shows Ruel’s initial skepticism of love. He falls in love just for it to end, as he “hits the ground” and dies. However, he overcomes this apprehension, with the song transitioning to “I’m running to you/ open arms.” This person has changed his feelings towards love, and he’s now willing to be vulnerable. “You’ve got me kicking my feet” is a wholesome and innocent way to express excitement, love, and happiness, ending the album on a sweet note.

Kicking My Feet is an amazingly honest album. This record feels more mature and authentic, achieving Ruel’s goal of being more himself and starting new in his creative writing. The lyrics on the album are some of the best he’s written with each song independent of one another, yet they are cohesive in their sound. The songs mentioned above are just a few of the beautiful works Ruel has put forth. I enjoyed his debut for the break-up songs, soaking up the sadness of getting over someone, but this album exceeded my expectations. Listeners are invited to meet Ruel on a more personal level. I’m kicking my feet thinking about an upcoming tour!