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

Since the start of the Crywolf undertaking, the music has at all times expressed components of introspection and self-discovery. Through the artist’s personal battles with psychological well being, the experiences and classes realized all through their journey have been exhibited entrance and middle all through the music. On high of being an especially gifted 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 by way of the audio system with intense fury.

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

But 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 in regards to the album, the influences inside, and what the way forward for the Crywolf undertaking seems like. Listen 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 know, after this world 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 few month earlier than the pandemic began. So most of those tracks have been written there. And so I wouldn’t say that the pandemic performed an enormous position within the substance of the album or the themes or something like that. But I do discover the juxtaposition of the 2 albums actually fascinating. Because mainly the entire Oblivion collection covers what was basically my darkish evening of the soul or my, you recognize, like quarter life disaster. I believe lots of people undergo that close to the top of their twenties.

Yep–

Where they’re form of like questioning all of the buildings that they fashioned over the course of the early elements of their twenties and all the things’s form of beginning to lose its luster, and so they need to make a whole lot of adjustments when it comes to how they deliberate their life. Career smart, friendship smart, way of life smart issues like that.

This all sounds very acquainted.

Yeah, yeah. How outdated are you now?

31.

Okay? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When I began going by way of it, it felt like my life was ending. And then I lastly began speaking to individuals 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 whole lot of the issues that I used to be doing with Crywolf. My life simply acquired so unsatisfying and that form of set off this cascade, it actually triggered my preexisting bipolar dysfunction. And like my depressive and nervousness signs acquired so crippling for, like fucking three years. And I wrote Widow form of proper through the starting of all of that, after which I wrote Exuvium proper on the finish of it. So Widow is actually darkish, nevertheless it’s darkish in form of this, like helpless, tragic means. Sort of simply being thrown round by the void and, you recognize, swept up in nihilism and the meaninglessness of all of it.

And then Exuvium, I believe is form of the proper counterpart to it and ending half for that collection as a result of it has the identical form of themes, the identical form of imagery, nevertheless it has a really completely different tone by which it approaches it. It’s form of approaching all of it with far more energy. It’s like going through that form of artistic destruction that wanted to occur. But as a substitute of that artistic destruction being a tragedy prefer it was in Widow, as a substitute, 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 spiritual affect in Exuvium. When I used to be at your early-listening showcase, it was virtually like I used to be listening to a sermon at sure factors. Where did the place did that come from? Is there Is there any form of imagery or metaphor to be gleaned from that form 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 form of complicated energies within us, for lack of a greater time period, not like precise power, however simply form of these patterns of psychological habits and that it’s best for us to grasp these issues if we externalize them. Because a whole lot 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. If you actually give it some thought, it looks like one thing else is controlling you, such as you’re not making the choices that you’d usually make, you’re form 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 whole lot of these spiritual figures are form of these archetypal position. They play these archetypal roles for us. Typically, I might avoid any form of like spiritual or esoteric imagery with my stuff, as a result of I’ve been scarred by the church and usually avoid faith. But to me they’re form of these highly effective symbols, particularly when it comes to just like the damaging archetypes.

The second observe on the album known as “Abbadon,” who is likely one of the demons of the Apocalypse. And there are many references to, such as you noticed, there’s a whole lot of references to that form of factor on the album. But I believe it will 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 simple method to check with a sure sort of power that’s so ineffable. It would take so lengthy to explain one thing totally. But but you’ll be able to check with a personality and that character embodies form of the essence of what all that has to do with all the things.

Absolutely, 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 form of shedding that previous self and popping out one thing new, one thing superb and exquisite?

Yeah, positively. I imply, I believe the entire theme of OBLIVION is form of confronting the void and the meaninglessness, basically making an attempt to make sense of it in some form of means. Everything that I write, it’s at all times form of a means of discovery for me. Usually I’m writing and I’m simply channeling no matter’s inside after which afterwards I’m taking a look at it and I’m like, “Oh, my God, this is not only describing exactly what’s going on inside of me,” however a whole lot of instances it’s form of like predicting the longer term. I’ll write an album after which I gained’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. When I used to be 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 regarded it up later, and I used to be like, “Oh, sick.”

Yeah, it labored out.

Maybe it was similar to, you recognize, buried someplace deep within me, and I didn’t actually have aware information of it. But yeah, it’s positively like that ending level the place you shed that remaining layer and form of emerge from the from the like, darkish, spasmodic, painful womb of that exact sort of change.

A wordsmith certainly. [laughs] So 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 stated, 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 a little bit bit till you launched it out into the world?

I might like to blame it on the pandemic. That would positively be positively be a a lot simpler excuse, however in actuality, truthfully, 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 by way of it once more. So there was like a complete 12 months there the place I simply couldn’t convey myself to work in any respect. And I used to be in despair on a regular basis. And then 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 is definitely 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. But then this 12 months, I like actually rediscovered my relationship with music and determined to reapproach this album and knock it out, so many of the precise ending work has been performed this 12 months, whereas all of the writing was performed in Bali, all of the composition and stuff.

You talked about the potential for the Crywolf undertaking itself not present after this. You have been capable of 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 reignited your ardour sufficient that you recognize there’s going to be extra music? Are you planning on possibly touring this album after which hanging up the towel? What’s form of the long run plan now could be as far forward as you’ll be able to inform.

My relationship with Crywolf was difficult, but in addition 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 like music. I’ll at all times create artwork. Growing up it was an enormous 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 know, like that is the one factor I need to do? There’s plenty of stuff that I need to do.

But my relationship with music itself, I really feel like was utterly rejuvenated. I’m so into making extra music, and I’ve already been writing a bunch of latest stuff. My relationship with Crywolf is fairly good. I form of made an settlement with myself that I might end this album, after which I might do yet another tour. And then if I nonetheless needed to stop after that, then I might stop. Whether that appears like beginning a brand new undertaking, whether or not that appears like taking a while off to pursue different issues, after which possibly reapproaching music later, I’m undecided. But I might say with this album’s reception and all the things that’s gone into the album launch and the way a lot I’ve actually loved that once more the best way that I used to, I believe I’m fairly certain that I’ll proceed doing Crywolf. We’re planning this tour for April/May and that’s going to be actually enjoyable. Just as a result of 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 know, with Widow? It took it took individuals like two years to actually get Widow. Um and I get–

Your music is a little bit, I might 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 individuals to love. I imply, I keep in mind recording Widow and I would love I might do 5 vocal takes and I might select the worst one attainable. I needed it to be unhealthy as a result of that was trustworthy 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 individuals in. It was speculated to be ugly. And so it took individuals actually very long time to grasp Widow. Whereas with Exuvium there are already so many individuals which are 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 individuals nonetheless have but to actually perceive.

You know, 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.

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

I hope so. If they know all of the Latin that will be so sick.

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

I hope form of each. That could be an important mixture of emotions.

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