They say you have a whole lifetime to create your first release. The second is much harder, because it typically comes with the pressure of time. Leave it too long and no one will remember you. Rush it though, and the quality may suffer. If Ruel experienced any angst in creating his sophomore EP Free Time, it doesn’t show. At 16 years old, he’s releasing music with more confidence and swagger than many musicians twice his age.
Three of the seven tracks from Free Time were released as singles, so I wondered whether I’d have much to say by the time the EP dropped. But there’s plenty more to fall in love with here. Speaking of love, it’s the dominant theme here, but it’s explored with a maturity beyond Ruel’s tender years. That makes his music so relatable, whether you’re discovering love for the first time as Ruel might be or you’ve got a wealth of experience behind you.
You might assume that Ruel released his strongest songs as singles, leaving lesser tracks behind. But every song on this EP has such quality. There’s real variety too, from the joyous soul-pop stylings of “Painkiller” to the poignant piano ballad “Hard Sometimes.” No matter the tone, Ruel’s distinctive, emotive voice is front and centre. It’s easy to get lost in it, but make sure you tune into the lyrics, which Ruel says are his most personal to date.
Free Time is a stunning EP which celebrates the evolution of this promising Australian talent, and hints at even better things to come. Ruel has a few more headlining shows at home and in New Zealand before heading to the United States and Europe. Somewhere in there he also finds time to come back home and support Shawn Mendes! Here are all the dates you need!
22 September 2019 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
24 September 2019 – Festival Hall, Melbourne
28 September 2019 – Shed 10, Auckland
1 October 2019 – Odeon, Hobart
4 October 2019 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
5-6 October 2019 – Yours & Owls Festival, Wollongong
8 October 2019 – Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
10 October 2019 – Columbia City Theater, Seattle
12 October 2019 – Holocene, Portland
14 October 2019 – The Biltmore Ballroom, Vancouver
19 October 2019 – Subterranean, Chicago
21 October 2019 – Velvet Underground, Toronto
22 October 2019 – The Foundry at the Fillmore, Philadelphia
25 October 2019 – Songbyrd Vinyl Lounge, Washington, DC
28 October 2019 – The Bowery Ballroom, New York
29 October 2019 – The Loft, Atlanta
31 October 2019 – The Studio at Warehouse Live, Houston
1 November 2019 – Cambridge Room @ House of Blues, Dallas
3 November 2019 – Fonda Theatre, Hollywood
6 November 2019 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane (supporting Shawn Mendes)
9 November 2019 – Spark Arena, Auckland (supporting Shawn Mendes)
14 November 2019 – Vulkan, Oslo
15 November 2019 – Vasateatern, Stockholm
17 November 2019 – DR Koncerthuset @ Studie 2, Copenhagen
19 November 2019 – Huxleys Neue Welt, Berlin
21 November 2019 – La Gaîté Lyrique, Paris
23 November 2019 – Manchester Academy 2, Manchester
25 November 2019 – Electric Brixton, London
26 November 2019 – O2 Institute 2, Birmingham
27 November 2019 – Saint Luke’s Glagsow, Glasgow
30 November 2019 – The Academy, Dublin
2 December 2019 – Die Kantine, Cologne, Germany
4 December 2019 – Melkweg Max, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia