"The Suburbs" is a song recorded by Australian singer-songwriter, Ruel. It was released on 22 August 2025 as the second single from his second studio album, Kicking My Feet.
The song won first prize in the 2025 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition.
The song was written by Ruel Van Dijk, Chelsea Lena, Fran Hall, Elias Danielsen and Mark Landon (M-Phazes), with the latter two serving as the song producers. The song's lyrics address intimacy and the idea of a simpler life shared with a significant other. Following the song's release, Ruel shared his thoughts with Rolling Stone Australia on embracing a more personal songwriting style in his new material:
A music video, directed by Charles Buxton-Leslie, and Jordan Ruyi-Blanch was released on 17 September 2025. The music video was filmed in Sydney and sees Ruel growing old in a suburban life.
"The Suburbs" was met with positive reviews from music critics. Larisha Paul from Rolling Stone said "The bluesy record intertwines warm harmonies with propulsive production." Dale Melita from Scene magazine described the song as "dreamy, introspective, and unmistakably Ruel," and highlighted the artistâÂÂs "bold" evolution as a musician. The song is a finalist in the 2025 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition.
Credits adapted from Apple Music.