Fred again.. and Anderson .Paak have linked up for a dream collaboration in the form of their new single, “places to be,” out now via Atlantic Records.
The jovial drum & bass-infused track arrives today as the latest of several highly anticipated heaters from Fred again.., following the release of “stayinit” with Lil Yachty and Overmono, and the London-based producer’s highly touted Gesaffelstein rework earlier this year.
Rapid breakbeats, sunny synths, and Fred’s trademark stutters lay the foundation for a punctual but cool-as-you-like verse from hip-hop and R&B heavyweight .Paak, whose cry, “Hello I’ve got places to be,” is met with a sultry, “Like me next to you, and you next to me,” from Alabama rapper CHIKA on the emotional new tune.
Fred’s friends and close collaborators Skrillex and Boo have also been credited as co-producers on “places to be,” which has landed just in time for Fred and the former’s sold-out show at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza this weekend.
Earlier this month, Fred again.. delivered a surprise DJ set at EDC Las Vegas, which featured “places to be” among other unreleased tracks. More IDs are expected to appear in his upcoming San Francisco gig after Skrillex declared, “Fred and I have way too much new music we need to test out, so we’re going to throw a rave in San Francisco,” on X, formerly Twitter, last week.
Next week, Fred again.. will stick around in Northern California for two shows at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater, before heading to Bonnaroo for his only U.S. festival headline appearance of the year.
Listen to Fred again.., Anderson .Paak and CHIKA’s “places to be” below.
Featured image from Fred again.. Credit: Theo Batterham.
