Sydney-based singer-songwriter Ruby Fields has dropped her second single of the year, “Half the Laugh”.
The track is upbeat, riff-heavy, and sees Fields keeping optimistic even through tough times. “The hurt is half the laugh the laugh,” she sings.
The single also comes with cover art featuring “Rory, one of the regulars at the pub I work at.”
“Half the Laugh” follows Fields’ previous single, the more moody “92 Purebred”, for which she’s just released a new lyric video.
This marks Fields’ first new music since 2021. “92 Purebred” helped launch a ten-date national tour that kicked off in Adelaide back in January. She wrapped up that tour over the weekend, and in a post to Instagram, Fields shared that she was donating $1 from every ticket sold to charity.
“Taking 92 on tour!!” she wrote. “Put ya pennies where your mouth is and buy a ticket to a show near you. We’re taking $1 from each ticket and donating it to Kulai Pre-School Aboriginal Corporation.”
Fields first made a splash on the Aussie music scene in 2018 with her debut EP, Your Dad’s Opinion for Dinner. Featuring standouts “I Want”, “P Plates”, and “Ritalin”, the EP’s success led to performances at SXSW and supporting gigs for Ball Park Music and San Cisco.
She released her debut album, Been Doin’ It for a Bit, in 2021, which hit the #1 spot on the ARIA Albums Chart. After a quiet period, “92 Purebred” signalled a welcome return from Fields, with her second album likely on the way.
Take a look back at Tone Deaf’s 2021 interview, where we called Fields “one of Australia’s most underrated lyricists.”
“The 22-year-old Cronulla native has spent the past four years winning over the hearts of Australia with her righteous explorations of youth and all its rebellion,” we wrote at the time.
Ruby Fields’ “Half the Laugh” is out now.
