4th Wall (album)

4th Wall is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Ruel, released on 3 March 2023. The album was announced on 25 January 2023.[4][6]

This article is about the 2023 studio album by Ruel. For the 1981 album by The Flying Lizards, see Fourth Wall (album).

4th Wall
Studio album by
Ruel
Released3 March 2023
Length44:40
Label
Producer
Ruel chronology
Bright Lights, Red Eyes
(2020)		 4th Wall
(2023)
Singles from 4th Wall
  1. "Growing Up Is _____"
    Released: 10 December 2021
  2. "Let the Grass Grow"
    Released: 11 March 2022[1]
  3. "You Against Yourself"
    Released: 18 August 2022[2]
  4. "Someone Else's Problem"
    Released: 28 October 2022[3]
  5. "Must Be Nice"
    Released: 25 January 2023[4]
  6. "I Don't Wanna Be Like You"
    Released: 28 February 2023[5]

The title is inspired by scenes from Ruel's favourite films; primarily The Truman Show and Fight Club. The fourth wall imagines Ruel finding out his entire life is a lie, being filmed for someone else's entertainment.[7]

Upon announcement, Ruel said "I spent the last 3 years writing it and wound up with over 100 songs. I rewrote half of them and re-recorded most of them, until they sounded exactly as I heard them in my head. It's been the biggest journey making this record and I know I kept you waiting for it, but on March 3rd, it'll be all yours. I'm so proud of it, thank you so, so much for sticking with me."[4]

Ruel announced the first leg of his 4th Wall World Tour, will commence in Australia and New Zealand in April 2023.[8]

At the 2023 ARIA Music Awards, the album was nominated for Best Produced Release.[9]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Milky Milky Milky[10]
Clash Magazine7/10[11]

Milky Milky Milky said "On his debut offering, Ruel comes to the realisation that life isn't all it appears to be. There's a complexity to the human existence, one that is heightened during the transitionary period towards adulthood. And that, in all its essence, is what forms the conceptual basis of 4th Wall... Overall, 4th Wall is a finely crafted capsule of stories that indicate the trajectory Australian pop music is heading. Subtly threading in nostalgic and multi-genre notes across the body of work speaks to how we consume music, influenced by different genres. The record takes influences that are so relatable, and adds junctures that either hark back to, or become, annotations within the album. Ruel has delivered a multi-faceted body of work that cements his place as one of Australia's most engaging contemporary acts."[10]

Robin Murray from Clash Magazine said "Taken as a whole, 4th Wall is ruthlessly entertaining and undeniably ambitious, with Ruel chopping down the excess to leave only prime cuts. A punchy introductory gambit, the album finds the Australian pop trailblazer hauling down the walls while letting fans into his world."[11]

Track listing
4th Wall track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Go On Without Me"
2:42
2."I Don't Wanna Be Like You"
  • M-Phazes
  • Simon
2:43
3."Sitting in Traffic"
M-Phazes4:15
4."Japanese Whiskey"
  • Van Dijk
  • Peter James Harding
  • M-Phazes
  • Stewart[c]
3:28
5."Growing Up Is _____"
  • Van Dijk
  • Julian Bunetta
  • Landon
  • Aidan Rodriguez
  • M-Phazes
  • Bunetta
3:53
6."Set Yourself on Fire"
  • Van Dijk
  • Ekko
  • Landon
M-Phazes2:51
7."Lie"
  • Van Dijk
  • Landon
  • Jake Torrey
  • M-Phazes
  • Torrey[a]
2:54
8."Let the Grass Grow"
  • Van Dijk
  • Harding
M-Phazes[p]2:55
9."You Against Yourself"
  • Van Dijk
  • Emma Rosen
  • Sammy Witte
  • M-Phazes[p]
  • Witte
2:26
10."Someone Else's Problem"
M-Phazes2:40
11."Wish I Had You"
3:16
12."If and/or When"
  • Van Dijk
  • Rosen
  • Ethan Gruska
  • Landon
  • Rahel Phillips
  • M-Phazes
  • Gruska
2:52
13."Must Be Nice"
2:55
14."End Scene"
  • Van Dijk
  • Harding
  • Landon
M-Phazes4:50
Total length:44:40

Notes

  • ^[p] signifies a primary and vocal producer
  • ^[c] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Musicians

  • Ruel – vocals (all tracks), guitar (track 9)
  • Spencer Stewart – bass guitar (1, 2, 4), guitar (2, 4); background vocals, drum machine, piano (4)
  • Jake Reed – drums (1)
  • Daniel Walsh – guitar (1, 2, 6, 10)
  • Beau Golden – piano (1, 3, 6, 11), synthesizer (1, 12), keyboards (7, 12)
  • Jan Bangma – bass guitar (2, 10, 12)
  • Gabe Simon – guitar (2); background vocals, bass guitar, percussion (6)
  • Pearl Lion – bass guitar, guitar (3)
  • M-Phazes – background vocals (4), drum machine (4, 8), synthesizer (8), vocals (10)
  • Aidan Rodriguez – background vocals (4), acoustic guitar (5, 8), electric guitar (5), keyboards (8, 11), synthesizer (14)
  • Dora Jar – background vocals (4)
  • Julian Bunetta – bass guitar, electric guitar (5)
  • Colin Munroe – background vocals (7, 8)
  • Blake Straus – bass guitar (7)
  • Hillary Smith – cello (7)
  • Jake Torrey – guitar (7)
  • Emiko Bankson – strings (7)
  • Ted Case – strings (7)
  • Sofia Kim – viola (7)
  • Carrie Kennedy – violin (7)
  • Michelle Shin – violin (7)
  • Sean Hurley – bass guitar (8)
  • Sammy Witte – bass guitar, drum machine, guitar, keyboards, programming (9)
  • Joseph E-Shine Mizrachi – guitar (10)
  • Scott Dittrich – guitar (10)
  • Ben Johnson – vocals (10)
  • Casey Smith – vocals (10)
  • Rahel Phillips – background vocals (12)
  • Ethan Gruska – guitar (12)
  • Tom Barnes – bass guitar (13)
  • Ben Kohn – organ (13)
  • Peter Kelleher – synthesizer (13)
  • PJ Harding – guitar (14)
  • Ian Peres – synthesizer (14)

Technical

  • Ruairi O'Flaherty – mastering (1–4, 6, 7, 11–14)
  • Dale Becker – mastering (5, 8–10)
  • Lars Stalfors – mixing (1–4, 6, 7, 11–14)
  • Eric J. Dubowsky – mixing (5, 8–10)
  • Sammy Witte – engineering (9)
  • M-Phazes – vocal engineering (9)
  • Connor Hedge – engineering assistance (9)
  • Matt Curtin – engineering assistance (9)

Charts
Chart performance for 4th Wall
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 10

Release history
Release dates and formats for 4th Wall
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 3 March 2023
[14][15]

References
  1. "New Aus Music Playlist Additions – 11/03/22". Music Feeds. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  2. "Ruel Urges You To Overcome Self-Sabotage On New Single "You Against Yourself"". Music Feeds. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  3. "Someone Else's Problem out everywhere this friday, 28th of october!!". 24 October 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2023 – via Twitter.
  4. Lochrie, Conner (25 January 2023). "Ruel announces long-awaited debut album, '4th Wall'". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  5. "Surprise ! Ruel a sorti un nouveau single intitulé "I don't wanna be like you", extrait de son album "4TH WALL" qui sortira ce vendredi !". Twitter. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  6. Fuamoli, Sose (25 January 2023). "Ruel announces debut album, 4th Wall, shares new single". ABC. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  7. Josh Martin (25 January 2023). "Ruel: "I don't set myself goals ever. I just do everything when it comes and feels right"". NME. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  8. "Ruel breaks the '4th Wall' on debut studio album". Out in Perth. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  9. "Nominees Announced for 2023 ARIA Awards". Music Feeds. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  10. "RUEL '4TH WALL' REVIEW". Milky Milky Milky. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  11. "Ruel – 4th Wall A punchy yet eclectic debut offering..." Clash Magazine. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  12. "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  13. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  14. "4th Wall CD + Digital Album". Ruel. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  15. "4TH WALL by Ruel". Apple Music (AUS). Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
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