Ruel - Kicking My Feet & Screaming [Red]

Ruel turns the dial on young love all the way up with Kicking My Feet & Screaming, pressed here on red vinyl to match its flushed, heart-on-sleeve mood.

Born in London and raised in Sydney, Ruel has been making polished, soulful pop since his early teens, and his 2025 album Kicking My Feet introduced a sharper, more restless songwriter. This 2026 follow-up works as its companion piece: ten new songs that pick up the thread and pull it tighter, chasing the giddy highs and cringe-inducing lows of falling hard for someone.

The credits read like a pop workshop running at full stretch, with M-Phazes, Dan Wilson, Julian Bunetta, Kenny Beats and Taka Perry all lending a hand. Lead single "Don't Say That" sets the tone, while opener "Hate Myself" arrives with the kind of blunt self-awareness that only works when the melody is strong enough to carry it. "Debbie Don't Cry" rounds out a set fixated on the awkward, intense business of being young and smitten.

The record swings between tender ballads and bright, upbeat pop, and each side makes the other land harder. Through all of it, that deep, soulful voice does the heavy lifting.

For anyone who wore out the first chapter, this is the second half of the story, and it looks the part.