Skrillex Surprise-Releases New Album ‘Don’t Get Too Close’

February 20, 2023

Skrillex has surprised fans by dropping a brand new album fewer than 48 hours after his previous full-length release. On Friday, 17th February, the electronic producer released Quest for Fire, his first album since his 2014 solo debut Recess. On Saturday, without warning, he released Don’t Get Too Close, which features a number of tracks previously released as singles alongside new collaborations.

The American producer’s latest features collabs with Yung Lean, Swae Lee and Kid Cudi, as well as the singles ‘Don’t Go’ with Justin Bieber and Don Toliver, ‘Real Spring’ with Bladee, and ‘Way Back’ with PinkPantheress and Trippie Redd. You can check out the full tracklist below.

Skrillex – ‘Way Back’ ft. PinkPantheress & Trippie Redd

Skrillex, PinkPantheress & Trippie Redd - Way Back [Official Audio]

Quest for Fire is similarly loaded with collaborations, including appearances from Missy Eilliot, Porter Robinson, Pete Wentz, Four Tet, 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady, and Beam. The critical reception has been fairly lukewarm, with Alexis Petridis of The Guardian writing that Quest for Fire seems like a “grab-bag of ideas” that achieve “varying degrees of success”. “You’re left with something that feels more like a crammed mood-board than an album,” Petridis wrote.

Skrillex celebrated the release of the former record – and announced the latter – with a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in NYC alongside Four Tet and Fred Again... He also performed a surprise set on a bus in Times Square on the way to the gig.

Skrillex – aka Sonny Moore – has previously spoken of going through a dark time in 2022, writing on Twitter in January 2023 that it was the toughest year of his life. “I literally found myself with no drive and purpose for the first time in my life,” he wrote, adding that he hadn’t really recovered from losing his mother a few years before.

“For the first time in 4-5 years I’ve found a new sense of peace,” he said. “It took so much work and sacrifice to get here. The support you’ve all shown over the years does mean the world and I’ll continue to work on myself and not get into a situation where I have to cancel shows / go into hiding.”