A Review of ‘Actual Life 3: (January 1 – September 9 2022)’

“I think the feeling that I’ve become really obsessed with is taking very fleeting moments and exposing as much beauty as is in them.” Fred Again… explains. The making of his music is unlike any other artist on the scene right now. Though notably inspired by much of the electronic scene, Fred Again… breaks boundaries with music, even when it comes to producing tracks. Much of this album was made in airports, tube journeys and lunch breaks. Just like Actual Life 1 and 2, this album is made from people and their experiences of everyday life. Fred creates art out of moments which would otherwise be seen as meaningless. To be able to create such beauty from fleeting emotions is a skill I have never seen from any artist in the same way Fred Again… manages to accomplish.

As always, bar the intro and outro, the track list consists of the names of whom he has predominantly sampled in the making of the song:

1. January 1^st 2022
2. Eyelar (shutters)
3. Delilah (pull me out of this)
4. Kammy (like i do)
5. Berwyn (all that i got is you)
6. Bleu (better with me)
7. Nathan (still breathing)
8. Danielle (smile on my face)
9. Kelly (end of a nightmare)
10. Mustafa (time to move you)
11. Clara (the night is dark)
12. Winnie (end of me)
13. September 9^th (2022)

This way of creating music is beautifully personal and creates a feeling of community and a connection to the artist before even pressing play. Fred released ‘Delilah (pull me out of this)’, ‘Kammy (like i do)’, ‘Bleu (better with me)’ and ‘Danielle (smile on my face)’ as singles prior to the release of the album. I really enjoyed them, but as always with his albums, they are designed to be listened to in the order in which they are given, so I felt that as singles they were a little misplaced. However, in the context of the album, these songs were incredible, the seamless transitions from track to track were exactly what I expected from Fred Again… and one which he never fails on.

As an artist, the formula used for each track is similar, so it is difficult to speak about the actual production of tracks and the differences between them. However, when looking at each song on this album, the energy and the emotions the choice of samples creates is different track by track. We get moments of melancholy in ‘Berwyn (all that i got is you)’ and to a degree in ‘Nathan (still breathing)’. This is contrasted in tracks such as the hopeful and inspiring ‘Bleu (better with time)’ and then further transformed in the energetic tracks of ‘Eyelar (shutters)’, ‘Delilah (pull me out of this)’ and ‘Danielle (smile on my face)’.

I think what is so incredible about Fred’s discography is as listeners, we follow the same journey that he has lived. There is no hiding behind writing or editing out feelings, he takes raw emotion and works from that. We know that this has been his lived experience from January 1 until September 9, and we experience that. Though not in real-time, the way Fred Again… creates music is made to feel like we are feeling and seeing what he was while he was making it.

A track which stands out for me is ‘Mustafa (time to move you)’. This feels nostalgic and like a reflection of every album until this point. Using samples which we have previously heard such as ‘I been lost for a while’ and ‘smoking chaos, our shoulder blades kissed’ takes listeners back to the beginnings of his solo career, some of the moments that defined his current success. Whether this is how he intended for this to be interpreted, I think it is truly beautiful.

A nice nod to the chronology of the album is using ‘Winnie (end of me)’ as the penultimate track. An airy, and more subtle track than what we’re used to, but still a great one, nonetheless. This track includes less samples and only a few layers which remain consistent throughout, it feels like more of a stripping back of emotion and unveiling of Fred Again… himself.

I think this album gives everything which we would expect from Fred Again… and it does not disappoint. The journey he has been on in his solo career is one which the music scene has been missing and I believe this is only the beginning for him. With every set he performs, festival played and boiler room attendance, his audience grows and the appreciation for his art becomes more widely acclaimed. This is someone who I believe is going to be one of the biggest artists of our generation and truly one of the most deserving.

Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) is out on all streaming platforms now.