‘Kicking My Feet’ gleams simplicity, ventures deeper into Ruel’s candor
Ruel takes listeners on an emotional rollercoaster in his sophomore album. Simpler lyrics and melodies show his personal growth since his debut, our columnist says. Hannah Mesa | Illustration Editor
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Two years ago, Ruel threw listeners for a loop with the striking vocals and dramatic lyrics in his debut album, “4TH WALL,” filled with breakup songs that followed the crumbling of a relationship.
But, there’s a deeper level of vulnerability and honesty in his sophomore album, “Kicking My Feet.” Across the 11-track album, which was released on Friday, Ruel takes listeners on an emotional rollercoaster while staying true to himself and his experiences in love.
Ruel wrote over 200 songs in preparation for the album. The final tracklist includes 10 tracks and an interlude outro, straying from the complicated metaphors and hidden messages in “4TH WALL.”
Instead, he opts for simple lyrics to convey the wide range of emotions in “Kicking My Feet.”
The first track, “Only Ever,” sets the stage for the rest of the album. In the initial phase of a relationship, Ruel envisions a long-term future with his current partner, singing about how committed he is to them. The level of desperation in his vocals helps convey his dedication.
Ruel’s sharp vocals highlight the messaging in “Wild Guess,” which follows Ruel as cracks begin to form in the relationship. The chorus’ simplicity makes it catchy while still capturing Ruel’s frustration as he wonders where the two went wrong.
“But I’m taking a wild guess / You were slipping away from me / It’s been a wild ride / But I won’t be your baby anymore,” he sings.
The third track, “When You Walk In The Room,” begins a tonal shift in the album. A more somber Ruel sings about how attached he’s become to his partner while they’ve grown distant, fearing the two are close to officially breaking up. The haunting instrumentals and backup vocals add an uneasy feeling while complementing Ruel’s wide range of vocals on the track.
In “I Can Die Now,” Ruel calls back to one of his older tracks, “Painkiller,” singing about love through medicine. The songs share similar themes as he compares the presence of his partner to a drug, with Ruel singing about how much happiness they bring him.
While the metaphor is similar to those from his debut album, the message is clearer as the singer gains some closure after a brief interaction with his former partner.
Once again, the chorus is the strongest part of the track. Behind powerful string instrumentals, Ruel sings simple yet striking lyrics, like, “Just a spoonful of you / No lie, makes the pain go away / Oh, make it go away / Yeah, when you call, it’s never too late.”
With more closure, Ruel takes a step backward in “Not What’s Going On,” realizing he’s still holding onto his previous relationship. Its bitter end makes Ruel want to hate his former partner, but the love he still has for them prevents it. The track isn’t the strongest vocally, but is one of the more emotional in the album.
In the following track, “Destroyer,” the happy themes present earlier in the album are gone, as the track opens with a bitter tone. Ruel feels weighed down with regret and his past mistakes, translated through the singer’s drawn-out, pitchy notes in between the softer chorus.
“You said you needed water / So I built the house on sand / When it sank into the ocean / The blood was on my hands,” he sings.
Ruel follows with “The Suburbs,” where the tone again shifts and the singer’s guttural vocals help the track stand out as one of the best on the album. With his past relationship finally behind him, Ruel is learning how to love again, starting to envision another long-term future with his new partner.
“I could see us in the suburbs / Never thought I’d be that person / But with you, it sounds like paradise,” Ruel sings.
“No News Is Good News” slows down the album again from the highs of the previous track. The regret from Ruel’s past relationship is starting to affect him. He feels scared to make the same mistakes and lose his current partner, and unlike any of the other tracks, it opens with raw vocals that slowly become more powerful.
In “Even Angels Won’t,” the tempo slows down even further, but this time for a different reason. Behind soft instrumentals, the song builds as Ruel sings about how thankful he is for his current partner. He admires how well they can handle his emotional baggage as he learns to trust again.
The album’s title track, “Kicking My Feet,” is its most vulnerable. Ruel sings lovingly of his current partner, as he breaks through the previous challenges of his last relationship, coming out of it as a better person and companion to his partner.
Ruel feels like a child around them. He can be his true self, the purest form of happiness he’s felt in a relationship. After the wide range of emotion in the previous tracks, it’s a worthy payoff in its softer melody and vocals as the album’s final full track.
“I’m talking ’bout you / More and more in front of anyone / I’ll make a fool in front of everyone / It’s written on my face / I could implode from the look that you give to me,” he sings.
Ruel then closes with the instrumental interlude “dst (outro),” a 52-second callback to his former partner. He doesn’t hate them, as he once hoped he would, but delivers a message to them that he’s fully healed and in love.
The interlude takes away from the happiness of the title track as the album’s closing note, but underscores Ruel’s closeness with his former partner and the pain from their breakup.
While the emotions of “4TH WALL” are still present in “Kicking My Feet,” the simplicity in Ruel’s sophomore album shows his personal growth and the steps he’s taken as a singer. At just 22 years old, the musical storytelling and vocals in his latest work reflect a maturity far beyond his age.
