Today, the Big Takeover premieres a new video by Fred called “Latest Jesus.” The song appears on his Creature, EP out Friday on Mother West.

FRED is the latest project of Seattle-based Gabriel Molinaro. Molinaro began writing and recording songs as FRED in 2019. The name references their grandmother, Winifred, described by Molinaro as a “sharp-witted and elegant woman who smoked cigarettes and read Sufi poets.” They continue, “I’m not sure she ever really appreciated the nickname Fred, but it felt like the kind of thing I could take on. She died the year I was born, so my connection with her has always been fragmented and mediated by family. I like using the name as a way to connect with her, as well as a way to play with people’s expectations. When people hear the name FRED, they certainly don’t expect me.”

Connecting to the women in their family became a theme in FRED’s most recent songwriting, as Molinaro’s mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2016, and died three years later. The upcoming EP, “Creature”, was written during this period and processes the grief of losing a parent. “I thought this collection of songs would be all about that grief,” writes Molinaro, “but it surprised me by becoming so much more than that.” The year after their mother’s death, Molinaro also came out as non-binary. “I realized I’m trying to understand the women in my family because I’m trying to understand myself. That’s a part of me that I never really felt like I could explore before.”

The “Latest Jesus” music video is directed and produced by the PNW-based production team “A Frick Take”, led by Justin Frick and Gage Sohler. “I sent the single to Justin, and he immediately had a vision for where he wanted to take the video,” writes Molinaro. “ I was still in the process of figuring out who FRED was, so it was really fun to talk about how this world was going to manifest visually. Justin and his team were so creative and spontaneous.” The team eventually settled on a private residence to shoot in – the visually stunning home of one of Portland’s tattoo artists. “The narrative of the film ended up being pretty loose, but it centers on a character who finds themselves feeling stuck in a past version of themselves. By the end, there is definitely a feeling of breaking through. The video mirrors my own experience writing the song and was a gateway into a flood of new creativity and personal growth in my life.”

As Gabe recalls, “I spent a long time not really knowing who I was, because I was so caught up in other people’s expectations, needs, and desires. In a weird way, there is some arrogance in living life like that – taking responsibility for other people’s issues and thinking only you can help. You set yourself up as some sort of Jesus figure who is here to save everyone. Writing this song was a crucial step in letting that self-image go. It’s been amazing how much I’ve discovered about myself since then – I’ve been able to give space to my own desires and identity and have found a lot of joy in it. “

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