Face to Face (Ruel song)

"Face to Face"
Single by Ruel
from the EP Free Time
Released	8 August 2019
Genre	Pop
Length	3:23
Label	RCA Sony Music Entertainment
Songwriter(s)	Ruel Vincent Van Djik , Mayra Figueredo Mark Landon Joseph Angel[1]
Producer(s)	M-Phazes
Ruel singles chronology
"Flames" (2019) "Face to Face" (2019) "Real Thing" (2019)
Music video
"Face to Face" on YouTube

"Face to Face" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Ruel. The song was released on 8 August 2019,[2] and was produced by M-Phazes. It is the second single from his sophomore EP, Free Time.[3]

Music video

The music video was released on 8 August 2019—the same day as the song's release—and was directed by Grey Ghost.[3][4] The video shows Ruel following a fictional French singer, ECÂF, breaking into her venue and eventually being kicked out.[1] At the end of the music video, during her performance, ECÂF's song "Pictures" was featured.[4]

Reception

Michael Love Michael from Paper noted that the song has "a retro soul feel," and that it "tells a very modern tale of crushing on someone through a screen...capturing the anxieties in teen and millennial hearts alike".[5]

Bella DiGrazia from The Daily Item stated that Ruel's "high and low range is hauntingly enticing" and that the saxophone solo towards the end of the song won her over.[6]

Perez Hilton praises him and his song, saying that Ruel "continues to impress us with not just the quality of his work but also the variety".[7]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[8]

• Ruel Vincent van Djik – lead artist, songwriting
• Mark Landon – producer, songwriting
• Joseph Angel – songwriting
• Ian Peres – bass
• Sylvain Richard – drums
• Dan Walsh – guitar
• Cy Leo – harmonica
• Amy Ahn – harp
• Damian Smith – keyboards
• Matt Colton – mastering engineer
• Tele Fresco – miscellaneous producer
• Eric J. Dubowsky – mixing engineer
• DoXa – programmer 
• Ted Case – strings

Charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[9]	73
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[10]	8

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[11]	Gold	35,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Bryant, Toby (2019-08-09). "Ruel takes to the streets of Paris in 'Face To Face' music video". CelebMix. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
2. "Ruel: Face To Face - Music on Google Play". play.google.com. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
3. "Ruel Returns With New Track And Official Music Video, 'Face To Face' Out Everywhere". BroadwayWorld. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
4. "Ruel - Face To Face (Official Video)". 8 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019 – via YouTube.
5. Michael, Michael Love (9 August 2019). "Bops Only: 10 Songs You Need to Start Your Weekend Right". Paper. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
6. DiGrazia, Bella (9 August 2019). "NEW MUSIC BREAKDOWN: POP DUO SOCIAL HOUSE FINALLY RELEASES EP". The Daily Item. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
7. Hilton, Perez (15 August 2019). "Listen To This: Suave Spice!". Perez Hilton. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
8. "Face to Face / Ruel - TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
9. "ARIA Chart Watch #538". auspOp. 17 August 2019. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
10. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
11. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 February 2022.