Almost Free

Almost Free is the third studio album by American skate punk band Fidlar, released on January 25, 2019.[5] The album was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood, and produced by Ricky Reed.[7]

Almost Free
Studio album by Fidlar
Released	January 25, 2019
Recorded	2017–2018
Studio	Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA
Genre	Punk rock,[1] garage punk[2]
Length	41:44
Label	Mom + Pop Dine Alone
Producer	Ricky Reed
Fidlar chronology
Too (2015) Almost Free (2019)
Singles from Almost Free
"Alcohol" Released: April 20, 2018[3] "Too Real" Released: September 14, 2018[4] "Can't You See" Released: October 12, 2018[5] "By Myself" Released: January 9, 2019[5] "Flake" Released: April 12, 2019[6]

Background

On recording the album, frontman Zac Carper said in an interview with Kerrang!'s Chris Krovatin that:

it took us a while to make this record. Each song was meticulously thought about. It was a bouncing back and forth between us and a producer over the course of a year and a half. Some of the songs, we had a beat and decided to add a bunch of shit to it, and that was the vibe. But there were moments that I never thought would’ve sounded how they do on the record. It’s just such a weird record for us, as a whole.[8]

Speaking to Kat Corbett on KROQ Radio during an October 2018 interview, guitarist Elvis Kuehn and drummer Max Kuehn stated that Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins plays drums on a track on the album.[9]

In a September 2018 interview with Upset Magazine, on the upcoming record and its sound, Carper said "it's our most diverse record, 100%, more so than Too, more so than our first record [...] We have horns on this record, fucking trumpets and saxophones and trombones and shit; we went for it. We just completely fucking went for it, so I'm excited for it to come out."[10]

Speaking of the album in general, Kuehn stated in a press release that "Almost Free feels like a step forward for us in a lot of ways. We tried to be true to ourselves and let the music come out naturally, without fear of how people would receive it."[5]

Elvis Kuehn, in a mid-December 2018 interview with Flood Magazine, said about the album title: "It was sort of about music being devalued. People don't really buy music as much nowadays. It just kept sticking with us when we thought about other options, because it has so many other meanings too."[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	5.8/10[12]
Metacritic	74/100[13]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Dork[14]
Gigwise[15]
Kerrang![1]
NARC Magazine[16]
NME[2]
Uncut[17]
Under the Radar[18]

Kerrang!'s David McLaughlin giving the album a positive review of 5 out of 5, stating that the mixed variety of sounds, and themes on the record are "All of which makes Almost Free an absolute joy to behold. It’s a trip to listen to, and an instant modern classic."[1]

Hannah Mylrea, writing for NME, gave a 4/5 star review to the album, comments that this album is a bold new choice for music fans and brings fresh influences.[2]

Similarly, Charlie Sinclair for Gigwise also gave the album a positive review of 9/10, and stated that "lyrically Carper is at his best, exploring his sobriety in terms of both his own mental psyche and the direct effect it's having on those around him. Standout track 'Kick' serves as a bleak look at the life of an addict desperate to stay on the straight and narrow."[15]

Timothy Michalik of Under the Radar, gave the album a negative review of 3/10, saying "Almost Free finds FIDLAR, the SoCal corporate-punks that at one point made endearing and charming pop-punk, ripping off Beastie Boys' worst tendencies and creative scapegoats" as well as stating that "Every move FIDLAR has made following their full-length debut, FIDLAR, sounds calculated, as if it was drafted up in a dingy, strip mall marketing office by a pair of washed-out hacks who no longer understand what is relevant."[18]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Get Off My Rock"	Fidlar	3:17
2.	"Can't You See"	Fidlar Ricky Reed	2:58
3.	"By Myself"	Fidlar Reed	3:34
4.	"Flake"	Fidlar Reed	3:47
5.	"Alcohol"	Fidlar	3:16
6.	"Almost Free" (instrumental)	Fidlar Reed	2:15
7.	"Scam Likely"	Fidlar Reed	3:04
8.	"Called You Twice" (featuring K.Flay)	Fidlar K.Flay Reed	4:23
9.	"Nuke"	Fidlar	0:38
10.	"Too Real"	Fidlar	4:05
11.	"Kick"	Fidlar	3:11
12.	"Thought. Mouth."	Fidlar	3:37
13.	"Good Times Are Over"	Fidlar Reed	3:39
Total length:			41:44

Source:[5][19]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Almost Free liner notes.

Fidlar

• Zac Carper – vocals, guitar, "laptop", "raw data", OP1
• Elvis Kuehn – guitar, vocals, piano, dobro, "note bending"
• Brandon Schwartzel – bass guitar, "ballistic missile alarm", "church harmonies"
• Max Kuehn – drums, percussion, "Tom Shaman"

Production

• Neal Avron – mixer ("Alcohol" only)
• Zac Carper – producer ("Get Off My Rock", "Nuke" & "Too Real" only)
• Sam Eaton – producer ("Nuke" only)
• Chris Gehringer – mastering
• Bill Malina – engineer (except "Nuke")
• Manny Marroquin – mixer (except "Alcohol", "Almost Free", "Nuke", "Kick" & "Thought. Mouth.")
• Ricky Reed – producer (except "Nuke"), mixer ("Almost Free", "Nuke", "Kick" & "Thought. Mouth." only)
• Ethan Shumaker – engineer (except "Alcohol")
• Jerry Ordonez – engineer ("Alcohol" only)

Charts

Weekly Charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Australian Album Charts (ARIA)	57
US Alternative Album Sales (Billboard)[20]	11
US Internet Albums (Billboard)[20]	24
US Rock Album Sales (Billboard)[20]	18
US Top Current Albums (Billboard)[20]	44

Singles

Year	Song	Chart	Peak position
2019	"Can't You See"	Canada Rock Chart (Billboard)[21]	48

References

1. "Album Review: FIDLAR – Almost Free". Kerrang!. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
2. Mylrea, Hannah. "FIDLAR – 'Almost Free' review". Nme.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
3. "FIDLAR are ready to get wasted on new single 'Alcohol': Stream". Consequenceofsound.net. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
4. Reed, Ryan (14 September 2018). "FIDLAR Blast Government Corruption, EDM on Fiery New Song 'Too Real'". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
5. "SINGLE BIO: FIDLAR - Can't You See (Liberator Music/Mom+Pop) - Mushroom Promotions". Mushroompromotions.com. 12 October 2018. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. "FIDLAR give an update on their third album". Diymag.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
8. Chris Krovatin. "The Underground Sounds of America: FIDLAR".
9. "FIDLAR Premieres New Song + Discuss Forthcoming Album with Kat Corbett". The World Famous KROQ. October 12, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
10. "FIDLAR: "We have horns on this record, fucking trumpets and saxophones and trombones and shit"". Upsetmagazine.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
11. "FIDLAR Experimented With New Sounds on "Almost Free" Because They Got Fuckin' Bored". FLOOD. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
12. "Almost Free by FIDLAR reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
13. "Almost Free by FIDLAR Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
14. "FIDLAR - Almost Free". Readdrok.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
15. "Album Review: FIDLAR - Almost Free - Gigwise". Gigwise.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
16. "ALBUM REVIEW: Fidlar – Almost Free - NARC. - Reliably Informed - Music and Creative Arts News for Newcastle and the North East". Narcmagazine.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
17. "Uncut - February 2019". Issuu.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
18. Michalik, Timothy. "Almost Free". Undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
19. "Almost Free by FIDLAR". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
20. "FIDLAR Almost Free Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
21. "FIDLAR Can't You See Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-08-31.