Ruby Fields returns with her second album Small Achievements and a national tour, unveiling new single Muscle ahead of the April release
by Paul Cashmere
Ruby Fields has announced her long-awaited second album Small Achievements, set for release on 24 April, alongside a five-date national tour and the arrival of a new single, Muscle.
For Fields, Small Achievements is more than a follow-up to her chart-topping debut Been Doin’ It For A Bit. It is a document of the past four years of her life in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, a period marked by pandemic isolation, devastating floods, personal upheaval, creative fracture and renewal. The record draws together those lived experiences into a set of guitar-driven songs that expand her knack for sharp, self-aware storytelling into deeper, more textured terrain.
The new single Muscle captures that evolution. Fields describes the song as an ode to her life in the Northern Rivers, exploring the tension between fear and love within community and the natural environment. It is a track that pairs gritty indie-rock riffs with anthemic hooks, while retaining the candid lyricism that first cut through when she emerged from Sydney’s South Coast suburbs.
The album title itself is rooted in a very specific local memory. Between tours, Fields worked at the Billinudgel Hotel, affectionately known as The Nudge. There she became part of the extended family orbiting the pub, including a beloved regular named Sharky.
When Sharky received a Hole-in-One trophy from the local golf course, it was proudly displayed behind the bar. For Fields, that modest gesture came to symbolise a community that celebrates every milestone, regardless of scale. Small Achievements, she says, is intended as a reminder to acknowledge what has already been accomplished rather than constantly chasing the next marker.
That perspective lands after a career that accelerated rapidly. In 2017, Fields uploaded I Want to triple j Unearthed and heard it broadcast nationally the same day. Soon after, Dinosaurs reached number nine in the triple j Hottest 100 of 2018, cementing her as one of the most compelling young voices in Australian rock. Subsequent Hottest 100 entries for Pretty Grim and Kitchen reinforced her staying power, while Like A Version performances of The Unguarded Moment and Lovesong showcased both her reverence for songwriting craft and her ability to reinterpret classics.
Her debut album Been Doin’ It For A Bit debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart in 2021, an achievement that placed her ahead of global heavyweights in that release week and earned a J Award nomination for Australian Album Of The Year. Dinosaurs has since been certified Platinum in Australia, and she has received APRA recognition for her songwriting.
Live performance has always been central to the Ruby Fields story. Since 2016 she has toured relentlessly, clocking up around 20 national runs, selling out headline shows and sharing stages with peers including Hockey Dad, Ocean Alley, Ball Park Music and San Cisco. Festival appearances at Splendour In The Grass, Laneway Festival and Party In The Paddock have underlined her connection with large crowds, including a memorable rock reworking of Toxic delivered to 20,000 people at Splendour.
Small Achievements will now be taken on the road in April and May, presented by triple j. The tour will see Fields perform new material alongside fan favourites, with support from Mac The Knife, Platonic Sex and Smol Fish. Platonic Sex will not appear at the Fremantle show, while Smol Fish will perform exclusively in Perth.
Away from the stage, Fields continues to immerse herself in the mechanics of music, building and repairing guitars in a South Coast shed, a craft she began learning as a teenager. That hands-on relationship with her instruments feeds directly into the sound of her records, where detail and distortion sit comfortably alongside vulnerability.
Small Achievements positions Ruby Fields at a point of consolidation and growth. It reflects an artist who has navigated the volatility of early success and personal upheaval, and who now frames resilience not in grand gestures but in the accumulation of small, meaningful wins.
Ruby Fields Small Achievements Tour Dates
Fri 24 Apr, Melbourne, The Croxton
Sat 2 May, Sydney, Manning Bar
Sat 9 May, Brisbane, Princess Theatre
Thu 14 May, Adelaide, The Gov
Sat 16 May, Fremantle, Freo Social
Destroy All Lines Presale: 10am local time Thurs 5 March
General Onsale: 10am local time Fri 6 March
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