Fred again..: USB002

"Gone are the maudlin pop and deep house that marked pre- hits like "adore u." And while typical Fred again.. signatures do surface, like the slightly-too-saccharine gated chords on "solo," or the smudged, low-attack synth breakdowns on "you're a star," USB002 favors the club over the contemplative. UK garage and four-on-the-floor beats lurk under nearly every track, the melodies are insidiously catchy, and Gibson's production moves spotlessly, thanks to his past in pop music."

"Some of USB002's efficacy, like PinkPantheress' Fancy Some More? or Charli XCX's Brat remix project, can also be attributed to the sheer density of its guestlist. Not many producers have the ability to pull together such a wide-ranging crew, getting JPEGMAFIA, Floating Points, Australian techno producer Skin on Skin, Caribou, Twitch streamer PlaqueBoyMax, and UKG superstar Sammy Virji all rubbing shoulders in Fred's crowded virtual DJ booth alongside earlier collaborators like Skrillex, Romy, Lil Yachty, and Overmono."

"Where PinkPantheress and Charli XCX's projects, although remix-based (and similarly clouted), felt like genuine interactions between peers and influences, USB002's link-ups often feel more functional than mutually illuminative. The album's beats are uniformly punchy, offering solid foundations for his guest vocalists; the euphoric chords of "solo" make for an effective contrast with Blanco's heartbroken rhymes, and BIA's rasp sounds fittingly menacing paired with the blown-out garage and hip-hop beats of "ICEY.." and "..FEISTY." But if anything, his collabs sound too much like Fred again"

USB002 foregrounds club-oriented styles, prioritizing UK garage and four-on-the-floor beats over the maudlin pop and deep house of earlier pre-hits like 'adore u.' Typical production signatures appear — gated chords on 'solo' and smudged low-attack synths on 'you're a star' — but Gibson leans into punchy rhythms and insidiously catchy melodies. Gibson's pop background gives the production surgical precision, containing wobbling bass and chunky kicks on tracks like '..FEISTY' while letting guest vocalists cut through. The project assembles a dense guestlist including JPEGMAFIA, Floating Points, Caribou, Skrillex, Romy, Lil Yachty, and Overmono, though many collabs feel functional rather than mutually illuminating.

Read at Pitchfork