''Bright Lights, Red Eyes'' is the third
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. (EP) by Australian singer-songwriter
Ruel. The EP was released on 23 October 2020 through
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
.
The EP was written in June 2019 in a Airbnb mansion in
Paris, France
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
. Ruel said "You can actually see it in the cover art – it's me and Sarah Aarons outside it" adding "We wrote five songs in about three days, each in under an hour."
In a press release in October 2020, Ruel said "I want to get across that this project is another step forward in maturity for me. 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."
Reception
In the week of its released, the EP was ''ToneDeaf's'' record of the week. Geordie Gray said "It's a delightful collection of fluttery, perfectly-crafted pop tracks. The neo-soul Cautious Clay collaboration 'Say it Over' is a real highlight" while Alexander Pan said "''Bright Lights, Bright Eyes'' is easily Ruel's most mature collection of songs to date. With his pop sound more polished and those vocals more emotional as ever, Ruel's new EP shows just why he's one of the most promising artists today."
Track listing
Charts
References
{{Ruel (singer)
2020 EPs
Ruel (singer) EPs