Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022)

Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9, 2022) is the third studio album from British producer Fred Gibson under the stage name Fred Again. It was released on October 28, 2022, through Atlantic Records.[1] Similar to the previous two releases in the Actual Life series, Actual Life 3 incorporates samples and audio clips from existing material, such as Instagram videos.[2] At the Grammy Awards 2024, it won Best Dance/Electronic Album and was shortlisted for the 2023 Mercury Prize.[3]

Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9, 2022)
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 28, 2022 (2022-10-28)
Recorded2022
GenreElectronic
Length40:42
LabelAtlantic
Producer
Fred Again chronology
USB
(2022)
Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9, 2022)
(2022)
Secret Life
(2023)
Singles from Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)
  1. "Danielle (Smile on My Face)"
    Released: 14 September 2022
  2. "Bleu (Better with Time)"
    Released: 23 September 2022
  3. "Kammy (Like I Do)"
    Released: 3 October 2022
  4. "Delilah (Pull Me Out of This)"
    Released: 17 October 2022
  5. "Clara (The Night is Dark)"
    Released: 27 October 2022

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash7/10[5]
DIY     [6]
NME     [7]
Pitchfork5.9/10[8]

Actual Life 3 was released to positive reviews. The album featured at 19th in Double J's 50 best albums of the year.[9] It also featured on Billboard's top 50 list, garnering 41st.[10]

It was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2023 Brit Awards.[11]

In the 2022 Triple J Hottest 100, two of the album's songs were featured in the countdown. "Delilah (Pull Me Out of This)" was 14th and "Danielle (Smile on My Face)" was 100th.[12] Although Pitchfork gave the album only 5.9/10, stating that "it feels slightly indulgent."[13]

It won the Best Dance/Electronic Music Album at the Grammy's in 2024.[14]

Track listing

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Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9, 2022) track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."January 1st 2022"Fred GibsonFred Again0:12
2."Eyelar (Shutters)" (with Eyelar)
  • F. Gibson
  • Benjy Gibson
  • Eyelar Mirzazadeh
  • Fred Again
  • B. Gibson
3:30
3."Delilah (Pull Me Out of This)" (with Delilah Montagu)
  • F. Gibson
  • B. Gibson
  • Delilah Montagu
4:11
4."Kammy (Like I Do)" (with Kamille)
  • Fred Again
  • Parisi
3:59
5."Berwyn (All That I Got Is You)" (with Berwyn, Dermot Kennedy and Guante)
  • Fred Again
  • B. Gibson
  • Parisi
  • Rob Milton
3:41
6."Bleu (Better with Time)" (with Yung Bleu)
  • Fred Again
  • B. Gibson
  • Parisi
3:17
7."Nathan (Still Breathing)" (with Nathan Archie)
  • F. Gibson
  • B. Gibson
  • Marco Parisi
  • Nathan William Archie
  • Peter Fenn
  • Fred Again
  • B. Gibson
  • Parisi
2:44
8."Danielle (Smile on My Face)" (with 070 Shake)
  • Fred Again
  • B. Gibson
  • Hebden
  • Parisi
3:21
9."Kelly (End of a Nightmare)" (with Wet)
  • Fred Again
  • Parisi
4:17
10."Mustafa (Time to Move You)"
  • Fred Again
  • Parisi
2:35
11."Clara (The Night Is Dark)" (with Clara Ward)
  • F. Gibson
  • M. Parisi
  • G. Parisi
  • Clara Ward Singers
  • Seni Crofts
  • Fred Again
  • Parisi
4:38
12."Winnie (End of Me)"
4:03
13."September 9th 2022"F. GibsonFred Again0:14
Total length:40:42
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Kyren (My Son)"F. GibsonFred Again4:34
15."Adam (Act Like)"F. GibsonFred Again2:55
16."Homies" (featuring Henry Wu)
  • F. Gibson
  • Henry Wu
Fred Again3:01
17."Baxter (These Are My Friends)" (with Baxter Dury)
  • Baxter Dury
  • F. Gibson
Fred Again4:04
Total length:55:16

Notes

  • All track titles are stylised with parenthetical text in all lowercase. As an example, "Eyelar (Shutters)" is stylised "Eyelar (shutters)".
  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer.

Sample credits

  • "Delilah (Pull Me Out of This)" samples "Lost Keys" by Delilah Montagu.
  • "Bleu (Better With Time)" samples "You're Mines Still" by Yung Bleu.
  • "Danielle (Smile on My Face)" samples "Nice to Have" by 070 Shake.
  • "Kelly (End of a Nightmare)" samples "Take Hold of Me" by Wet.
  • "Clara (The Night Is Dark)" samples "The Storm is Passing Over" as performed by The Clara Ward Singers.
  • "Winnie (End of Me)" samples "The End of Me" by Winnie Raeder.

Personnel

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Musicians

  • Fred Againprogramming (1–5, 7, 8, 10–13), vocals (tracks 1, 6, 9, 12)
  • Benjy Gibson – programming (2, 5, 8)
  • Eyelar Mirzazadeh – vocals (2)
  • Parisi[a] – programming (4, 7–12), bass (7, 10), synthesizer (7, 9, 11), sound effects (10), drums (11), keyboards (11)
    • Marco Parisi – bass (3), synthesizer (3, 8), programming (4), keyboards (5)
    • Giampaolo Parisi – drums (3, 8), programming (3, 4, 8), sound effects (5), bass (7, 10), synthesizer (7, 9)
  • Alex Gibson – programming (3)
  • Kieran Hebden – programming (3), drum programming (8)
  • Delilah Montagu – vocals (3, 10)
  • Kamille – vocals (4, 10)
  • Rob Milton – programming (5)
  • Dermot Kennedy – vocals (5, 10)
  • Jeremy Biddle – vocals (6)
  • Kelly Zutrau – vocals (9)
  • Clara Ward Singers – vocals (10, 11)
  • Jamie xx – programming (12)
  • Winnie Raeder – vocals (12)

Technical

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Silver 60,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^ Marco and Giampolo Parisi are credited both as a group and as individuals throughout the track listing.

References

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  1. ^ Minsker, Evan (September 14, 2022). "Fred Again.. Announces New Album Actual Life 3, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  2. ^ Moore, Sam (October 27, 2022). "Fred again.. – 'Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022)' review: candid dancefloor dispatches for the masses". NME. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Snapes, Laura (July 27, 2023). "Mercury Prize 2023: Arctic Monkeys tie Radiohead's record for most nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) by Fred Again Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  5. ^ Rigotti, Alex (October 28, 2022). "Fred again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Tipple, Ben (October 28, 2022). "Fred again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) review". DIY. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  7. ^ Moore, Sam (October 28, 2022). "Fred again..: 'Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022)' review: candid dancefloor dispatches for the masses". NME. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  8. ^ Cardew, Ben (October 28, 2022). "Fred again..: Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  9. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2022". Double J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  10. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022: Staff List". Billboard. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  11. ^ Richards, Will (January 10, 2023). "Mo Gilligan returning to host 2023 BRIT Awards". NME. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  12. ^ "Hottest 100 2022". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  13. ^ "Fred again..: *Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9 2022)". Pitchfork.
  14. ^ "Fred again.. | Artist | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  16. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  19. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  21. ^ "Fred Again..: Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  22. ^ "Lescharts.com – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  24. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Fred Again..". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  25. ^ "2022 44-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. November 4, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  26. ^ "Charts.nz – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  27. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  28. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  29. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  30. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  31. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022)". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  32. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  33. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  34. ^ "Heatseekers Albums: Week of December 3, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  35. ^ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums: Week of December 3, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  36. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2023" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  37. ^ "British album certifications – Fred Again – Actual Life 3 (Jan 1 - Sep 9 2022)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 26, 2024.