The Suburbs (Ruel song)
| "The Suburbs" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Ruel | ||||
| from the album Kicking My Feet | ||||
| Released | 22 August 2025 | |||
| Genre | Blues[1] | |||
| Length | 3:08 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Ruel singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "The Suburbs" on YouTube | ||||
"The Suburbs" is a song recorded by Australian singer-songwriter, Ruel. It was released on 22 August 2025 as the second single from his second studio album, Kicking My Feet.[2]
The song won first prize in the 2025 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition.[3]
Composition
The song was written by Ruel Van Dijk, Chelsea Lena, Fran Hall, Elias Danielsen and Mark Landon (M-Phazes), with the latter two serving as the song producers.[4] The song's lyrics address intimacy and the idea of a simpler life shared with a significant other.[4] Following the song's release, Ruel shared his thoughts with Rolling Stone Australia on embracing a more personal songwriting style in his new material:
"It’s been pretty daunting to offer up this level of honesty in my songwriting but seeing the way it’s already connected so personally with fans has calmed my 'pre-album' nerves in a huge way."
— Ruel on the song, via Rolling Stone Australia[1]
Music video
A music video, directed by Charles Buxton-Leslie, and Jordan Ruyi-Blanch was released on 17 September 2025.[5] The music video was filmed in Sydney and sees Ruel growing old in a suburban life.[6]
Reception
"The Suburbs" was met with positive reviews from music critics. Larisha Paul from Rolling Stone said "The bluesy record intertwines warm harmonies with propulsive production."[1] Dale Melita from Scene magazine described the song as "dreamy, introspective, and unmistakably Ruel," and highlighted the artist’s "bold" evolution as a musician.[4] The song is a finalist in the 2025 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition.[7]
Track listing
- Digital download and streaming - single[8]
- "The Suburbs" — 3:08
- "I Can Die Now" — 2:51
- Digital download and streaming - (35 mph version)[9]
- "The Suburbs" (35 mph version) — 3:45
- "The Suburbs" — 3:08
- "I Can Die Now" (ER Version) — 2:48
- "I Can Die Now" — 2:51
Personnel
Credits adapted from Apple Music.[10]
- Ruel Vincent Van Dijk — vocals, songwriter
- Mark Landon (M-Phazes) — producer, songwriter, recording engineer, synthesiser
- Elias Danielsen — producer, songwriter, guitar, bass
- Chelsea Lena — songwriter
- Fran Hall — songwriter
- Nick Lamb — piano, synthesiser
- Alex Ghenea — mixing engineer
- Nathan Dantzler — mastering engineer
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Version | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 18 August 2025 | Original | [8] | ||
| 11 September 2025 | 35 mph Version | [9] |
References
- ^ a b c "Ruel Previews New Album Kicking My Feet With Bluesy Single "The Suburbs"". Rolling Stone. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Ruel Announces Sophomore Album Kicking My Feet Shares New Single "The Suburbs"". The Note. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ^ "Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition 2025 Winners Revealed". noise11. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ^ a b c Melita, Dale (3 September 2025). "Ruel, pop's latest it boy, announces sophomore album". Scene Magazine. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
- ^ RUEL (17 September 2025). Ruel - The Suburbs (Official Video). Retrieved 19 December 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Ruel Releases Music Video for Single "The Suburbs"". Rolling Stone. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Vanda & Young Global Song Comp Breaks Records As 2025 Top 50 Are Revealed". Noise11. 9 December 2025. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ^ a b The Suburbs - Single by Ruel on Apple Music, Apple Music, 21 August 2025, retrieved 19 December 2025
- ^ a b The Suburbs (35mph Version) - Single by Ruel on Apple Music, Apple Music, 11 September 2025, retrieved 19 December 2025
- ^ The Suburbs by Ruel - Credits, Apple Music, 21 August 2025, retrieved 19 December 2025