Ruby Fields Been Doin' It For A Bit

Ever since airing her private fears on 2018’s quiet-then-loud breakthrough “Dinosaurs”, New South Wales singer-songwriter Ruby Fields has been balancing the boozy mischief of her guitar-blasted early anthems with more vulnerable moments. Her debut album seamlessly integrates those two sides of her, recounting crushing hangovers and embarrassing bottle-shop runs alongside intimate tales of her first kiss and strict Catholic upbringing. “Pokies” even paints memorable scenes of father-daughter bonding, with guitarist Adam Newling playing her dad’s well-worn voice of wisdom. And while Fields and her band still rock out plenty across the album—cue the whammy-bar hook and ’90s-worthy chorus of “R.E.G.O”—there are softer shades of barroom country and piano balladry mingling with the punky catharsis. Already one of Australia’s best chroniclers of twentysomething uncertainty, Fields has now developed into a more mature, relatable songwriter whose observations cut to the unguarded heart of any situation.