Been Doin' It for a Bit
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. At the J Awards of 2021, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year. 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." 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." 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". Track listing

Charts

Release history

See also
 List of number-one albums of 2021 (Australia)

References

2021 debut albums
Ruby Fields albums
Albums produced by Chris Collins (musician)
Albums produced by Tim Fitz
Flightless (record label) albums
Self-released albums