Crywolf sheds his pores and skin and turns into one thing lovely within the closing chapter of oblivion, ‘Exuvium’ [Interview]

For the reason that starting of the Crywolf challenge, the music has all the time expressed parts of introspection and self-discovery. By the artist’s personal battles with psychological well being, the experiences and classes discovered all through their journey have been exhibited entrance and heart all through the music. On high of being a particularly proficient musician in his personal proper, the background additionally provides the music an exceedingly visceral and acquainted feeling.

That motif is nowhere extra salient than his newest album, exuvium [OBLIVION Pt. II], created following a interval of intense turmoil. The ache and grief within the music is sort of tangible, the highly effective melodies and lyrics seething via the audio system with intense fury.

When Crywolf launched Cataclasm in 2015, we included it in our checklist of High Albums of the 12 months and referred to as it an “album for the post-EDM era.” Not counting the 7-track Skeletons challenge launched in 2017, the two-part OBLIVION collection has been his first return to the album format in virtually half a decade. Rather a lot can change on the planet between then and now, most of which we most likely don’t have to remind you of.

However that point was additionally a interval of intense private development and self-discovery for Crywolf himself.

Following the discharge of the album, we spoke with him concerning the album, the influences inside, and what the way forward for the Crywolf challenge appears like. Hearken to the album under and proceed scrolling for our interview.

So what was the distinction in your mentality between Widow, pre-pandemic and Exuvium popping out? You realize, after this international trauma had been skilled for a 12 months and a half.

I really wrote most of Exuvium earlier than the pandemic. I wrote it once I was residing in Bali. I moved again from Bali a couple of month earlier than the pandemic began. So most of those tracks had been written there. And so I wouldn’t say that the pandemic performed an enormous function within the substance of the album or the themes or something like that. However I do discover the juxtaposition of the 2 albums actually fascinating. As a result of principally the entire Oblivion collection covers what was basically my darkish night time of the soul or my, you recognize, like quarter life disaster. I feel lots of people undergo that close to the tip of their twenties.

Yep–

The place they’re type of like questioning all of the buildings that they fashioned over the course of the early elements of their twenties and every thing’s type of beginning to lose its luster, they usually should make a number of adjustments by way of how they deliberate their life. Profession clever, friendship clever, way of life clever issues like that.

This all sounds very acquainted.

Yeah, yeah. How outdated are you now?

31.

Okay? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. After I began going via it, it felt like my life was ending. After which I lastly began speaking to folks of their thirties and everybody was like, “Wait. How old are you?” And I used to be like, 27. They’re like, “Oh, my god. Of course you are. That’s exactly what you should be doing at this age.” And I’m like, I really feel like my life is over! It didn’t make it any higher, however I simply actually began to query a number of the issues that I used to be doing with Crywolf. My life simply obtained so unsatisfying and that type of set off this cascade, it actually triggered my preexisting bipolar dysfunction. And like my depressive and nervousness signs obtained so crippling for, like fucking three years. And I wrote Widow type of proper throughout the starting of all of that, after which I wrote Exuvium proper on the finish of it. So Widow is absolutely darkish, nevertheless it’s darkish in type of this, like helpless, tragic approach. Type of simply being thrown round by the void and, you recognize, swept up in nihilism and the meaninglessness of all of it.

After which Exuvium, I feel is type of the proper counterpart to it and ending half for that collection as a result of it has the identical type of themes, the identical type of imagery, nevertheless it has a really totally different tone by which it approaches it. It’s type of approaching all of it with far more energy. It’s like going through that type of inventive destruction that wanted to occur. However as an alternative of that inventive destruction being a tragedy prefer it was in Widow, as an alternative, it’s like the last word energy, the factor that’s fueling you.

One of the issues I observed is there’s a far more salient Latin and non secular affect in Exuvium. After I was at your early-listening showcase, it was virtually like I used to be listening to a sermon at sure factors. The place did the place did that come from? Is there Is there any type of imagery or metaphor to be gleaned from that type of wild departure in theme.

Yeah, I imply, over the course of this complete course of, I actually began diving into the works of Carl Jung, the psychologist who coined the entire thought of the collective unconscious, shadow work, archetypes. And particularly with archetypes, basically the concept we have now these type of complicated energies within us, for lack of a greater time period, not like precise vitality, however simply type of these patterns of psychological habits and that it’s best for us to grasp these issues if we externalize them. As a result of a number of instances they virtually really feel like one thing separate from us, like falling in love or getting so offended that you just do one thing. In case you actually give it some thought, it appears like one thing else is controlling you, such as you’re not making the selections that you’d usually make, you’re type of being influenced by one thing.

As human beings, it’s lots simpler to say, “Oh, I’m under the influence of Cupid or Aphrodite,” and it’s like, “Oh, well, that makes sense. That’s why you’re being that way right now.” Or, you recognize, channeling Ares the god of conflict, after which, “Oh, that makes sense. That’s why you’re so violent right now.”

So, you recognize, to me a number of these spiritual figures are type of these archetypal function. They play these archetypal roles for us. Sometimes, I’d avoid any type of like spiritual or esoteric imagery with my stuff, as a result of I’ve been scarred by the church and customarily avoid faith. However to me they’re type of these highly effective symbols, particularly by way of just like the damaging archetypes.

The second observe on the album is named “Abbadon,” who is among the demons of the Apocalypse. And there are many references to, such as you noticed, there’s a number of references to that type of factor on the album. However I feel it might be misguided for anybody to interpret that as an precise reference to the spiritual beliefs of any of these. It’s far more like that is a straightforward option to confer with a sure sort of vitality that’s so ineffable. It will take so lengthy to explain one thing totally. However but you’ll be able to confer with a personality and that character embodies type of the essence of what all that has to do with every thing.

Completely, and the phrase Exuvium itself, I simply Googled it to make certain, means “something that is cast off, such as the exoskeleton of an animal.” So is the is the album about type of shedding that previous self and popping out one thing new, one thing superb and delightful?

Yeah, positively. I imply, I feel the entire theme of OBLIVION is type of confronting the void and the meaninglessness, basically making an attempt to make sense of it in some type of approach. Every part that I write, it’s all the time type of a technique of discovery for me. Often I’m writing and I’m simply channeling no matter’s inside after which afterwards I’m it and I’m like, “Oh, my God, this is not only describing exactly what’s going on inside of me,” however a number of instances it’s type of like predicting the longer term. I’ll write an album after which I received’t actually totally perceive that album till six months after I launch it, as a result of it’s speaking about issues that I’ve but to undergo. After I was writing Exuvium I used to be nonetheless in the midst of this loopy interval. I keep in mind once I wrote that track, which ended up being the title for the album, I didn’t really know what Exuvium meant however I used to be simply going with these lyrics, and I simply put that phrase in there. Then I seemed it up later, and I used to be like, “Oh, sick.”

Yeah, it labored out.

Possibly it was identical to, you recognize, buried someplace deep within me, and I didn’t actually have aware data of it. However yeah, it’s positively like that ending level the place you shed that ultimate layer and type of emerge from the from the like, darkish, spasmodic, painful womb of that exact sort of change.

A wordsmith certainly. [laughs] So that you talked about you recognize that this album was completed earlier than the pandemic. Was the pandemic a part of the explanation why it wasn’t launched till now? Or such as you mentioned, did it take extra time so that you can totally perceive what the album meant to you, and also you wanted to sit down with it for somewhat bit till you launched it out into the world?

I’d like to blame it on the pandemic. That will positively be positively be a a lot simpler excuse, however in actuality, actually, I used to be simply fucking having a psychological breakdown for like two years. I had this era in Bali the place I used to be feeling higher, and I wrote a bunch of these things after which, a pair months later, simply was going via it once more. So there was like an entire 12 months there the place I simply couldn’t carry myself to work in any respect. And I used to be in despair on a regular basis. After which after which I really ended up taking a 12 months lengthy sabbatical after that. So, the album was written in Bali, after which this 12 months I’ve lastly actually felt like reapproaching Crywolf. There’s really a interval there the place I used to be contemplating not doing Crywolf anymore, as a result of it simply developed to the purpose the place it was creating a lot anguish in my life. However then this 12 months, I like actually rediscovered my relationship with music and determined to reapproach this album and knock it out, so a lot of the precise ending work has been completed this 12 months, whereas all of the writing was completed in Bali, all of the composition and stuff.

You talked about the potential of the Crywolf challenge itself not present after this. You had been in a position to overcome the psychological anguish and the problems and also you got here again, completed this album up, launched it. So what’s the plan now that it’s launched? Have you ever reignited your ardour sufficient that you recognize there’s going to be extra music? Are you planning on perhaps touring this album after which hanging up the towel? What’s type of the long run plan now’s as far forward as you’ll be able to inform.

My relationship with Crywolf was difficult, but additionally my relationship with simply being a musician was difficult as a result of one of many issues that I used to be having a disaster about was the truth that I had, with out actually realizing it, devoted like 12 years of my life into this one trade. And you recognize, I really like music. I’ll all the time create artwork. Rising up it was a giant a part of who I used to be, nevertheless it wasn’t all of who I used to be. I wasn’t a type of individuals who grew up being like, “I will be a musician or I’ll die.” You realize, like that is the one factor I need to do? There’s plenty of stuff that I need to do.

However my relationship with music itself, I really feel like was fully rejuvenated. I’m so into making extra music, and I’ve already been writing a bunch of recent stuff. My relationship with Crywolf is fairly good. I type of made an settlement with myself that I’d end this album, after which I’d do yet one more tour. After which if I nonetheless wished to stop after that, then I’d stop. Whether or not that appears like beginning a brand new challenge, whether or not that appears like taking a while off to pursue different issues, after which perhaps reapproaching music later, I’m undecided. However I’d say with this album’s reception and every thing that’s gone into the album launch and the way a lot I’ve actually loved that once more the way in which that I used to, I feel I’m fairly certain that I’ll proceed doing Crywolf. We’re planning this tour for April/Might and that’s going to be actually enjoyable. Simply because this album is so cinematic and so like epic, and, making the entire visible journey for that and constructing that entire tour out goes to be actually enjoyable.

Plus, it’s simply enjoyable that like… You realize, with Widow? It took it took folks like two years to essentially get Widow. Um and I get–

Your music is somewhat, I’d say, mental.

Yeah, I imply, particularly that one as a result of it was it was so– It simply was not one thing that was made for folks to love. I imply, I keep in mind recording Widow and I would really like I’d do 5 vocal takes and I’d select the worst one doable. I wished it to be unhealthy as a result of that was sincere on the time, like I used to be a fucking mess, and I didn’t need to make music that sounded polished. I didn’t need to make music that was catchy or that drew folks in. It was speculated to be ugly. And so it took folks actually very long time to grasp Widow. Whereas with Exuvium there are already so many individuals which might be like, “This is my favorite album you’ve ever done.” So touring with an album like that’s far more enjoyable than touring with an album that folks nonetheless have but to essentially perceive.

You realize, there’s 5 months in between releasing it and taking part in it out, and with an album like this, as quickly as I’m on tour, there’s gonna be tons of individuals like screaming the lyrics to each track. Whereas Widow I used to be not fairly as excited to tour with a bunch.

However now I’m simply imagining the group like yelling out in Latin, identical to–

I hope so. In the event that they know all of the Latin that might be so sick.

I don’t know whether or not I would really like really feel like intense like group and, like togetherness, or simply straight up concern at that second,

I hope type of each. That will be a terrific mixture of emotions.

Completely, I’m trying ahead to that, particularly since you recognize you mentioned it was April/Might, proper round my birthday. So hopefully I get to have some non secular awakening once I flip 32, as a result of god is aware of that age actually isn’t good for a lot else. However yeah, I actually admire you talking with me. I’m gonna take a take heed to the album a number of extra instances as a result of it’s fairly a dense however I’ll positively catch you on tour subsequent 12 months.