Secret Life
Four people stand on a grassy lookout overlooking a city illuminated by lights
Studio album by
Fred Again and Brian Eno
Released5 May 2023 (2023-05-05)
GenreAmbient[1]
Length44:33
LabelText
Producer
Fred Again chronology
Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022)
(2022) 		Secret Life
(2023)
Brian Eno chronology
ForeverAndEverNoMore
(2022) 		Secret Life
(2023)

Secret Life is a collaborative ambient album between British recording artists Fred Again and Brian Eno released on 5 May 2023 through Four Tet's label Text Records.[2]

Background and release

Secret Life is the first collaborative release from Fred Again and Brian Eno, however they have been colleagues since 2014, when Fred Again received writing credits on Eno's Someday World and High Life. Eno then became Fred Again's mentor, saying that "when I first worked with Fred I could see he was brilliant".[2] Eno has stated that Fred Again also acted as his mentor with respect to learning contemporary music.[3]

Secret Life was announced on 2 May 2023 by Four Tet, an English producer with whom Fred Again had previously worked and toured, earlier in the year, with Four Tet calling it "the most beautiful album of 2023". The announcement included the release date of 5 May.[4] Prior to its release, previews of songs were played daily at 10:00 PM BST on the promotional website secretlife.fm.[5]

Musical composition

Secret Life is an ambient album. Fred Again performs the vocals.[6]

It interpolates John Prine's "Summer's End" (from The Tree of Forgiveness) on "Radio" and "Come On Home". The album also interpolates Leonard Cohen's "In My Secret Life" on "Secret" and Winnie Raeder's "Don’t You Dare" on "Enough". Alongside these, Fred Again incorporates sampled vocal snippets throughout the album, akin to his Actual Life releases.[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Guardian[1]
NME[7]
Pitchfork6.0/10[6]

Secret Life received average to negative reviews from critics. With that noted, writing for Triple J, Courtney Fry praised the composition's subtleness, stating it is a "45-minute exhale [come] just at the right time".[8] Ted Davis of Rolling Stone said that while the album falls short of Four Tet's "most beautiful album of 2023" claim, it is still "pretty".[9] WhyNow writer Teddy Coward highly commended Secret Life and called it a "blissfully nourishing sweep" of ambient music. In particular, he enjoyed Fred Again's vocals and the way they blended with the drone ambience.[10]

Reviewers praised the change in style of Fred Again.[9][11] Davis thought that despite his playful and gimmicky persona, the album demonstrated a more subtle side of Fred Again's music.[9] Ellie Mullins of We Rave You called him a "musical chameleon" and lauded the dynamic between the two artists.[11] Davis also commended the degree of Eno's creativity on Secret Life, believing it something "we haven't heard [...] in years".[9] Conversely, Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian described the album as uninspired, demonstrating the "weaknesses" in the collaborators' producing capabilities.[1]

According to Will Richards from NME, "The album's full power is only released though when understanding the relationship between the two artists, and what came before. For those in the know, it fills in satisfying gaps; for newcomers or Eno fans unfamiliar with Fred's work, it'd be easy to feel shut out, in spite of the immersive nature of the project."[7]

The album featured on several weekly "best of" lists, including by Rolling Stone,[12] Pitchfork,[13] and Far Out.[14] A brief review of new music for The New Zealand Herald by Peter Baker recommended this album for being "a haunting and solemn collection of atmospheric soundscapes fused with YouTube audio snippets, Instagram voice messages and Fred Again's own fragile vocals".[15]

Track listing

Secret Life track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Saw You"
4:25
2."Secret"
5:04
3."Radio"
  • Eno
  • Gibson
  • Eyelar
  • Eno
  • Fred Again
  • Eyelar
4:04
4."Follow"
  • Eno
  • Gibson
  • Eno
  • Fred Again
1:39
5."Enough"
  • Eno
  • Fred Again
  • Ross
5:22
6."Pause"
  • Eno
  • Gibson
  • Eno
  • Fred Again
2:23
7."Safety"
  • Eno
  • Fred Again
2:43
8."Cmon"
  • Eno
  • Gibson
  • Lydia Clowes
  • Henry Counsell
  • Aaron Dessner
  • Taylor El Hage
  • Teresa Origone
  • Raeder
  • Benedik Toming
  • Leo Wyatt
  • Eno
  • Fred Again
  • Dessner
5:20
9."Trying"
  • Eno
  • Gibson
  • Lola Young
  • Eno
  • Fred Again
  • Joy Anonymous
3:41
10."Chest"
  • Eno
  • Fred Again
4:55
11."Come On Home"
  • Eno
  • Fred Again
  • Joy Anonymous
4:57
Total length:44:33

Charts

Chart performance for Secret Life
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 84
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 57
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[18] 26
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[19] 28
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[20] 28
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[21] 24
US New Age Albums (Billboard)[22] 1

References

  1. ^ a b c Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (5 May 2023). "Fred again.. and Brian Eno: Secret Life review – dull ambient set reveals both men's weaknesses". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b Paul, Larisha (2 May 2023). "Brian Eno and Fred Again.. Will Release 'Secret Life' Album on Four Tet's Text Records". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  3. ^ Brian, Katie (2 May 2023). "Four Tet Announces Forthcoming Collaborative LP From Fred again.. & Brian Eno: 'The Most Beautiful Album of 2023'". Billboard. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  4. ^ Strauss, Matthew (2 May 2023). "Brian Eno and Fred Again.. Are Releasing a New Album on Four Tet's Label". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  5. ^ Singh, Surej (3 May 2023). "Fred Again.. and Brian Eno are releasing a new album this week". NME. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Blackwell, Matthew (10 May 2023). "Fred again.. / Brian Eno: Secret Life Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b Richards, Will (9 May 2023). "Fred again.. and Brian Eno – Secret Life review: ambient soundscapes from master and apprentice". NME. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  8. ^ Fry, Courtney (5 May 2023). "Let Fred Again.. and Brian Eno soundtrack the morning after the party with 'Secret Life'". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d Davis, Ted (5 May 2023). "Brian Eno Coaxes Out Fred again..'s Serious Side On 'Secret Life'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  10. ^ Coward, Teddy (9 May 2023). "Secret Life review - Fred Again.. and Brian Eno, mentee and master, make serene comedown album". WhyNow. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  11. ^ a b Mullins, Ellie (5 May 2023). "Fred again.. & Brian Eno join forces on stunning ambient album Secret Life: Listen". We Rave You. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  12. ^ "4 albums you need to hear this week". Rolling Stone. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  13. ^ Monroe, Jazz; Minsker, Evan (5 May 2023). "10 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: billy woods & Kenny Segal, the Smashing Pumpkins, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  14. ^ Taysom, Joe (7 May 2023). "The Alternative Album Chart: The best new indie albums this week". Far Out. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  15. ^ Baker, Peter (26 May 2023). "What We're Listening To: Heady House Music, Sufjan Stevens & Other Things You Need To Hear". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  16. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 15 May 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1732. Australian Recording Industry Association. 15 May 2023. p. 6.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Fred Again.. & Brian Eno – Secret Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  18. ^ "Charts.nz – Fred Again.. & Brian Eno – Secret Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Brian Eno Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Brian Eno Chart History (New Age Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
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