Marking 4 years of Fred again..’s ‘Delilah (Pull Me Out of This)’, one of the key tracks from his breakthrough ‘Actual Life 3’ era

Released on October 17, 2022, Delilah (Pull Me Out of This) became an important release during Fred again..’s Actual Life 3 era. The track had already gained attention months earlier when he played it during his Boiler Room debut in London, before it was officially released as the fourth single from Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022). Four years later, its story remains closely connected to the personal recordings behind the Actual Life series and the period when Fred again.. was reaching a much wider audience.

@fredagainarchive1 Fred again – Delilah live in NYC (Show 6) #fredagain #usb #fredagainagainagain #nyc #fredagaintour @Fredagainagain ♬ Delilah (pull me out of this) – Fred again..

The Story Behind Delilah

The track samples Delilah Montagu singing her 2021 song Lost Keys in an Instagram video, with the line “you know how to calm me down” becoming the vocal at the centre of the production. Fred again.. experimented with several versions before settling on the idea behind the finished track: experiencing a panic attack in a club and needing someone you trust to help you through it.

That meaning gave Delilah Montagu’s vocal a specific role within the track, with the words representing the person who can calm someone down when the surroundings become overwhelming. Fred again.. later tested Delilah at a rave in New York, where hearing it played live helped him identify what still needed to change. He finished the track the following day while working in McCarren Park.

@delilahmontaguofficialpull me out of this

♬ original sound – Delilah Montagu

The use of Montagu’s recording also continued an approach heard throughout the Actual Life series. Across those records, Fred again.. used voice notes, videos, conversations and recordings from people in his life as source material, turning individual moments into complete songs while keeping the original voices at their centre.

From Boiler Room To Actual Life 3

Before its official release, Fred again.. played Delilah during his Boiler Room debut in London on July 29, 2022. The performance circulated widely online, giving listeners an early introduction to several unreleased tracks that would later appear on Actual Life 3. Delilah was among the songs that gained attention from the set, months before the studio version became available.

When Delilah was officially released in October, it followed Danielle (Smile on My Face), Bleu (Better With Time) and Kammy (Like I Do) as the fourth single from the album. Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) followed on October 28, 2022 through Atlantic Records, continuing the autobiographical concept behind the first two Actual Life albums while introducing more dance-focused material across the record.

Delilah later reached No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 12 on the UK Dance Singles Chart, while continuing to appear throughout Fred again..’s live performances after the album was released.

Four years later, Delilah stands as one of the tracks that best represents this period of Fred again..’s career. What began with Delilah Montagu singing into her phone became a release heard by many for the first time through Boiler Room before finding its place on Actual Life 3. The track kept the personal source material that had become central to his music while bringing that approach into the dance-focused direction that was becoming increasingly prominent in his work.