Ben Ruegg returns from the edge with powerful new album ‘This Chaotic Sea’

Releasing August 15, 2025, This Chaotic Sea is the debut full-length album from Auckland musician Ben Ruegg – a deeply personal record forged in the wake of a near-fatal seizure in 2020 and the loss of his father in 2023. It is an exploration of trauma, healing, and human connection, told through soaring alternative rock, stripped-back ballads, and vivid lyrical storytelling.

To mark the release, Ruegg will perform an intimate acoustic set on launch day – giving a rare chance to experience the songs up close in their rawest form. Taking place at Auckland’s Papakura Theatre Club on 15 August at 7:30pm, limited tickets will be available from the 12th of July.

The album opens with Encounter, a 90’s-tinged alternative rock anthem driven by swelling strings and a gripping riff. Lyrically, it dives into the strange, anticipatory sensations Ruegg experienced before his temporal lobe seizures – setting the stage for the emotional and sonic journey to come.

Title track This Chaotic Sea and the anthemic Run and Hide (featuring Eileen of Lost Vessels) follow, before easing into the introspective Becoming Strangers, a poignant duet with country artist Jenni Smith exploring the quiet unravelling of relationships.

Inside The Light, originally a Channeled song, was written just months before Ruegg’s seizure. Now reimagined in a stripped-down, vulnerable form, it pairs beautifully with Again and Again, a raw expression of emotional recovery written shortly after that life-altering event.

All I Need is a soaring power ballad inspired by the 80’s and 90’s music Ruegg grew up hearing around the house. With heartfelt melodies and nostalgic textures, the song explores how love has the power to transform us – anchoring the album’s emotional core with a sense of hope. Following that, Final Days confronts the pain of loss with stirring honesty, featuring a powerful sax solo from Peruvian musician Jordan Mazza and backing vocals from Ruegg’s sister, Jessica Cole. It is a call to live in the now, free of regret.

The final trio – Walking In The Morning, They Tried, and The Turn – brings the album to a close, reflecting themes of perseverance, renewal, and acceptance.

Produced by Ben Ruegg and longtime collaborator Olly Green (Hurricane Kids), with mixing and mastering by Scott Seabright (except for the final three tracks, mixed by Ruegg himself), the album features performances by Marcella Adesurya, Michelle Anderton, Warren Van Wyk, Olly Green, and Steven Westwood.

This Chaotic Sea is set for release on August 15, 2025.