Ruel might be kicking his feet, but his fists are readying a dynamic sucker punch all the while. The Aussie pop prodigy’s sophomore album doesn’t hold back. Instead, it embraces the paradoxical nature of romance, for better or worse.

The LP’s opener ‘Only Ever’ is a dynamic number that lends itself to a cohesive foundation for the rest of the project’s thirty-minute run. As a collaborative production effort courtesy of John Ryan and Matt Zara, it features an intriguing arrangement between a supporting bass and synthy electronic instrumentation that knocks your socks right off. Ruel’s own vocals are stacked, too, from catchy adlibs to effective harmonisation; it’s a masterclass in pop performance, with every single element landing faultlessly. Lyrically, ‘Only Ever’ is straightforward, but never vapid. It accurately portrays the sensation of falling head over heels in love. And it seems as if the album’s few sombre moments look back to this feeling in search of reassurance to press on – a sentiment that the emotionally-charged lead single, ‘I Can Die Now’, also shares.

Situated smack-bang in the middle of Kicking My Feet is ‘Destroyer’, one of the tracks that departs the record’s otherwise smitten character. It allows the Aussie musician to find closure in a battle that’s equal parts won and lost. Having said that, it’s less of an actual fight with someone in particular and more of an inner conflict with wanting to erase their image out of your peripheral vision. Amidst the dreamy string intro and intentionally subdued drums, the song’s verses steadily build to a cathartic chorus with resonant belting that Ruel last tapped into on ‘Must Be Nice’ from his 2023 debut, 4th Wall.

Just like the album’s title suggests, the overarching theme here is that Ruel’s genuinely happy. Or giddy. Completely swept off his feet, even. That much is obvious as soon as the project arrives at its pinnacle ‘The Suburbs’ – an inspiring longing for a simple life alongside a loved one. It’s the type of pop song that could easily venture into cliché territory, but Ruel’s candid demeanour steers clear of it. Elevated by a punchy production that offers the musician’s voice to shine, ‘The Suburbs’ comfortably steals the show. And, at times, it blows some of the other songs out of the water – an unlucky curse that its successor ‘No News Is Good News’ falls under.

The record’s closing track, and also its Achilles’ heel, ‘dst (outro)’ is an interlude-adjacent attempt at flipping the switch. It comes to quite an abrupt halt, albeit in a presumably deliberate vein. Still, it falls a little bit short. It’d be fun to speculate about what that actually means. In fact, it’s tempting. But for now, it feels as though the title track would’ve been the better choice to round off Kicking My Feet – a body-of-work that’s joyful, carefree, and often refreshingly self-aware. And, most notably, a testament to Ruel’s profound artistic growth.

order Kicking My Feet by Ruel HERE