Ruel's 'Kicking My Feet' Album Rollout: Key Milestones, Reviews, and Behind-the-Scenes Reveals
By Elena Rostova
The creative process required a total overhaul of Ruel’s usual studio habits. Speaking to Billboard in June 2026, he explained that the songs refused to fit into a standard 12-track pop structure. The tracks naturally drifted into two distinct camps: the daytime tracks and the midnight tracks.
During the daytime sessions, writing flowed effortlessly. Bright acoustic chords, unquantized live drums, and conversational hooks dominated the workspace. These tracks reflected someone unashamedly smitten. But nighttime sessions stripped that warmth away. Working alongside longtime collaborators and new alternative producers, Ruel leaned into vocal takes that intentionally pushed his voice into raspy, imperfect registers. The screaming aspect was not metaphorical; several tracks closed with layered, unpolished vocal loops designed to capture panic attacks and overwhelming sensory overload.
Rather than picking one tone and shelving the other, Ruel kept both. The result was a sequencing triumph that mirrored the turbulence of young adult relationships.
Elena Rostova holds a Master's degree in Public Health Journalism. She covers groundbreaking medical research, holistic wellness trends, mental health awareness, and nutritional science.
