Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020)

Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020) is the debut studio album from British producer Fred Gibson under the stage name Fred Again. It was released on April 16, 2021 through again.. Records.^[1] The composition of the album involves short clips from various sources, such as YouTube videos and FaceTime conversations,^[2] layered with synthesizers. The album revolves around the COVID-19 pandemic and was an outlet for Gibson to explore "a year of finding love and mourning its loss".^[3]

Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020)
Studio album by Fred Again
Released	April 16, 2021 (2021-04-16)
Genre	Electronic
Length	50:27
Label	again.. Records
Fred Again chronology
Actual Life (2020) Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020) (2021) Actual Life 2 (February 2 – October 15 2021) (2021)

The album was preceded by Actual Life, a five-track extended play released initially on May 15, 2020 featuring one song present on this album, and extended mixes of "Adam" and "Me".^[4] On Apple Music, the EP has a release date of June 12, 2020 and also includes "Marnie (Wish I Had U)".^[5]

Critical reception

The album featured at 7th in Double J's 50 best albums of the year.^[6]

Track listing

Disc 1

No.	Title	Length
1.	"April 14th 2020"	0:40
2.	"Kyle (I Found You)"	3:16
3.	"Dermot (See Yourself in My Eyes)" (with Dermot Kennedy)	3:48
4.	"Yasminah (See Your Face Again)"	3:05
5.	"Hackney (Interlude)"	0:14
6.	"Julia (Deep Diving)"	4:34
7.	"Adam (Interlude)"	1:45
8.	"Me (Heavy)"	3:03
9.	"Big Hen (Steal My Joy)"	4:23
10.	"Marnie (Wish I Had U)"	3:12
11.	"Sabrina (I Am a Party)"	3:19
12.	"Lydia (Please Make It Better)"	3:07
13.	"Carlos (Make It Thru)"	3:23
14.	"Angie (Interlude)"	2:48
15.	"Angie (I've Been Lost)" (featuring Angie McMahon)	4:45
16.	"December 17th 2020"	0:22

Disc 2

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Marea (We've Lost Dancing)" (with the Blessed Madonna)	4:45

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020) Chart (2021–2024) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] 75 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] 41 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 65 UK Dance Albums (OCC)[10] 9 UK Album Downloads (OCC)[11] 84 US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[12] 10

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020) Chart (2023) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] 136

References

1. Moore, Sam (March 29, 2021). "Fred again.. announces debut solo album 'Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020)'". NME. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
2. "Fred Again.. Announces Debut Album 'Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020)'". DIY. March 29, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
3. Ho, Tia (April 14, 2022). "Fred again… Breaks Down Every Song on Actual Life (April 14 - December 17 2020)". KEXP. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
4. "Actual Life". Spotify. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
5. "Actual Life - EP". Apple Music. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
6. "The 50 best albums of 2021". Double J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
7. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 18 March 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1776. Australian Recording Industry Association. March 18, 2024. p. 6.
8. "Ultratop.be – Fred Again.. – Actual Life (April 14 - December 17 2020)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Fred Again.. – Actual Life (April 14 - December 17 2020)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
10. "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
11. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
12. "Top Dance/Electronic Albums: Week of December 17, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
13. "Jaaroverzichten 2023" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved January 7, 2024.

Further reading

• Condon, Dan (May 24, 2021). "Fred again.. – Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020)". Double J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
• Pilley, Max (April 12, 2021). "Fred Again.. Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020)". Loud and Quiet.
• Middleton, Ryan (April 16, 2021). "Album Review: Fred again.. - Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020)". Magnetic Magazine.
• Smith, Thomas (April 15, 2021). "Fred again.. – 'Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020)' review: super-producer's notes from a lost year". NME.