A clean 80s synth and Ruel’s vocals set the scene on ‘Debbie Don’t Cry’- his voice alone enough to lay bare the vulnerable side of conflict. A warm guitar riff and hazy, atmospheric backing vocals sneak up and wash over you as the track unfolds into a slow-burning rush, carrying all the emotional weight of a pop ballad but refusing to be pinned down. Guilt and devotion are tangled up in the lyrics – the song wears it lightly, a stubborn brightness shot through with nostalgia, “You set me on fire, I’m never leaving” lodging itself right in your chest. Ruel pulls you in deep with an emotional charge that hints at a revelation waiting to happen across the second half of his upcoming record.
Ruel shares: “I’ve been dropping hints about the track for ages and now Debbie is finally here! Making this song started off as a kinda joke on a writing trip. Me and the other writers got back to the house pretty late at night (maybe a little buzzed) and started messing around. Skip to the next day and Debbie was finished. It became an instant favourite of that writing trip, plus I played the guitar solo at the end which felt really good as I think I’m a pretty average guitarist, so I surprised myself!”
‘Debbie Don’t Cry’ follows ‘Hate Myself’ – the gritty, alt-rock gut-punch that cracked the ARIA Aus Artist Singles Top 50 Chart, and before it, ‘Don’t Say That’, which has surpassed 3.3 million Spotify streams, picking up support from The Edge and ZM in New Zealand and currently top 20 airplay in New Zealand. The new music has also had support from Hit Network, Nova, triple j and earned global praise including BBC Radio 1, Apple Music’s Breaking Pop, NME, Clash, Dork and Wonderland.
Across 10 tracks, the forthcoming KICKING MY FEET & SCREAMING takes the melodic warmth of Part One and drags it somewhere starker. The story continues – love, loss and the specific misery of not being able to let go, but this time the emotional register swings wider, from the tender to the visceral, often within the same song. Featuring collaborators who’ve worked with the likes of Taylor Swift, Adele, Harry Styles, Sabrina Carpenter and Eminem, it’s Ruel at his most zealous.
It arrives on the back of a landmark run: Lollapalooza slots across Chile, Argentina and Brazil (where Ruel surprised thousands of fans mid-set with the announcement of KICKING MY FEET & SCREAMING); an epic two-month North America headline tour; a headline show at Sydney Opera House Forecourt; and a First Prize win at the 2025 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition for ‘The Suburbs’ (from album part one – KICKING MY FEET).
Across the pond, Ruel will bring his latest record to the UK and Europe this October, embarking on a headline tour across Ireland, U.K. France, Germany, The Netherlands, plus concerts in several brand-new territories including Spain and Poland – with support from singer-songwriter Sadie Jean.
Since debuting in 2017 at just 14, Ruel has amassed over 3 billion global streams, headlined multiple sold-out world tours, and collected platinum and gold singles alongside RIAA, ARIA and MTV awards. KICKING MY FEET & SCREAMINGarrives Friday June 12, the second half of his sophomore album era.
With KICKING MY FEET & SCREAMING part 2 around the corner, get lost in the final taste on ‘Debbie Don’t Cry’ now.
