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.[8] At the J Awards of 2021, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.[9]
| Been Doin' It for a Bit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 September 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2020[1] | |||
| Studio | Waiuku, New Zealand The Music Farm, Byron Bay, Australia[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:27 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | ||||
| Ruby Fields chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Been Doin' It for a Bit | ||||
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."[1]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The AU Review |   [10] |
| Clash | 8/10[11] |
| NME Australia | [12] |
Matt Doria from NME Australia called the album a "gut-punching debut from an indie-rocker wiser than her years."[12]
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".[10]
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."[11]
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."[13]
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".[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Song About a Boy" | Ruby Fields, Tim Fitz | 3:49 |
| 2. | "R.E.G.O." | Fields, Chris Collins | 2:59 |
| 3. | "Kitchen" | Fields | 4:53 |
| 4. | "Bruises" | Fields | 2:57 |
| 5. | "Airport Cafe" | Fields, Fitz | 2:59 |
| 6. | "Pokies" (featuring Adam Newling) | Fields | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Pretty Grim" | Fields, Fitz | 2:49 |
| 8. | "Ouch" | Fields | 1:46 |
| 9. | "Worms" | Fields | 2:12 |
| 10. | "Clothes Line" | Fields | 3:22 |
| 11. | "Bottle-O" | Fields | 2:32 |
| Total length: | 33:27 | ||
Charts
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] | 1 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Edition(s) | Label | Catalogue | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 24 September 2021 | Standard | Ruby Fields | [15] | ||
| Australia | CD |
| S44CD0009 | [2] | ||
| LP | Super blue vinyl | S44LP0009 | [16] |