Been Doin' It for a Bit explained

Been Doin' It for a Bit
Type:studio
Artist:Ruby Fields
Cover:Been Doin' It for a Bit by Ruby Fields.png
Released:24 September 2021
Recorded:2020
Studio:Waiuku, New Zealand
The Music Farm, Byron Bay, Australia
Length:33:27
Label:
Prev Title:Permanent Hermit
Prev Year:2019

Been Doin' It for a Bit is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Ruby Fields, released through Space 44 Records and Flightless on 24 September 2021. The album debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[1] At the J Awards of 2021, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.[2]

Background and recording

Ruby Fields recorded the album in Waiuku, New Zealand in early 2020, but the sessions were cut short when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. They ultimately regrouped to complete the record at The Music Farm, Byron Bay later in the year. The Australian Independent Record Labels Association said "The finished product is a declaration of individual and artistic independence that reflects the complexities of growing up, making mistakes, and ultimately making peace with one's fallibility."[3]

Critical reception

Matt Doria from NME Australia called the album a "gut-punching debut from an indie-rocker wiser than her years."

Dylan Marshall from The AU Review named it "A genuinely fun and charismatically easy listen" and "the edge of summer album you've been looking forward to after a long and bleak winter".

Shannon Garner from Clash felt that "the album is everything that Fields has built her name on – a modern, no-bullshit personality, and is an honest celebration of where she is at in life."

Al Newstead from ABC said "Each song on Been Doin' It for a Bit is packed with detail and memorable lines that convey so much more than their seemingly banal settings initially appear. From kitchens to pubs, backyards to bottle-os, Ruby is capable of being hilarious and heartfelt all at once, having you crying into a frothie as much as laughing over one."[4]

In a review for Blunt Magazine, Mary Varvaris wrote that the album was "even greater than expected", stating that Fields created an album packed with "punchy, energetic, honest pop-punk anthems" with an "Aussie spin".[5]

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatEdition(s)LabelCatalogueReference
Various24 September 2021StandardRuby Fields[6]
AustraliaCDS44CD0009[7]
LPSuper blue vinylS44LP0009[8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ruby Fields lands debut ARIA #1 album. ARIA Charts. 1 October 2021. 16 October 2021.
  2. Web site: Triple j reveals J Awards nominees. The Music Network. 1 November 2021. 1 November 2021. Kelly, Vivienne.
  3. Web site: Feature: Ruby Fields – Been Doin' It for a Bit. Australian Independent Record Labels Association. 29 September 2021. 17 October 2021.
  4. Web site: Ruby Fields: still the artist you'd most want to sink a tinnie and talk sh*t with. ABC. 28 September 2021. 16 October 2021. Newstead, Al.
  5. Web site: Varvaris . Mary . Review: Ruby Fields – Been Doin' It For A Bit . . 29 July 2022 . 21 September 2021.
  6. Web site: Been Doin' It for a Bit by Ruby Fields. Apple Music. 16 October 2021.
  7. Web site: Been Doin' It for a Bit by Ruby Fields. JB Hi-Fi. 16 October 2021.
  8. Web site: Been Doin' It for a Bit by Ruby Fields. JB Hi-Fi. 16 October 2021.