It was 2019 when Ruel was in Paris writing new material and in between writing sessinos, he was attending Paris Fashion Week. The result was his latest EP, ‘Bright Lights, Red Eyes’ that was released in October via RCA Records. The EP includes his previously-released singles “as long as you care” and “say it over” featuring Cautious Clay. Speaking on the inspiration behind the EP, Ruel stated, “I want to get across that this project is another step forward in maturity for me. ‘Free Time’ was a step up from ‘Ready,’ and this ‘Bright Lights, Red Eyes’ EP is a step up again. This project was a stream of consciousness when I was writing it at the time, and I feel like that’s the way all projects and songs are for me. They are moments in time. This project isn’t who I am right now as I wrote these songs last year, but it’s the most mature you’ve ever heard me and it was me, in that moment in time. The songs I’m writing now will be more mature again, and I love that my fans can come on this journey with me as I grow.” Like many artists, Ruel is taking advantage of the pause in the music industry to work on new material that may ultimately be for his debut album.
Ruel spoke with B-Sides host, Pete Mar about writing new music, how he’s been catching up on various films during quarantine that include ‘True Romance,’ ‘Natural Born Killers’ and ‘Fight Club.’ The latter was one of significance to Ruel as it inspired him to write a song that would fit with the ending scene that was originally soundtracked by “Where Is My Mind?” by The Pixies. Check out the interview.
