Ruby Fields: All Grown Up

Ruby Fields’ debut album, Been Doin’ It For A Bit, has been a long time coming. Since hurtling into Australia’s psyche in 2017 with her breakout single “I Want”, Ruby has captured hearts with her straight-shooting songwriting and larrikin sense of humour.

Ruby and her band of best mates—guitarist Adam Newling, bassist Tas Wilson, and drummer Patrick Rogers—shared dwellings as the album began to take shape. There’s this untouchable sense of camaraderie, a divine, scrappy friendship that tides through the record. 

The troupe crossed the Tasman to record the album at Revolver Studios in Waiuku, New Zealand; but were forced to cut the sessions short when the pandemic hit, relocating to The Music Farm in Byron Bay to finish the album.

Ruby notes that the album’s recording process was “like going to school camp”. Every evening, the band would get together and reflect on the day’s work. They’d swap notes, cook each other dinner, trade books they were reading, and play board games.

Been Doin’ It For A Bit is a quintessential Ruby Fields record. A paean to growing up, Ruby besets the sadness, tragedy, and trauma of coming-of-age with her nuanced and self-effacing sense of humour. But this time, she’s let her guard down a little.

“I feel so at peace with growing up a bit,” she admits. “The older you are the more confident you are in who you’re becoming. You’re a better person, or at least you’re constantly working towards being one.

“A lot of those songs on the album are things that I haven’t felt brave enough, or haven’t had the right words to talk about before,” she adds. “Maybe I’ve found the right voice to express the topics of those songs. I don’t have as many walls up as I did when I was a teenager. I can more openly speak about things. My songs are a journey of growing up.”

Ruby Fields’ debut album, Been Doin’ It For A Bit, is out now.