#tom krell

TSH: How would you sum up the energy and emotion as you started work on ‘The Anteroom’?

Tom: I had a lingering, incessant uncanny feeling as I began work on this record. I felt very isolated and strange and, frankly, very disoriented. I had gone through massive changes in my life, was in the midst of massive transformations, and found myself… suspended.

TSH: What was it like for you to delve into loneliness and make a very confessional record?

Tom: I mean, it was powerful to make this record. But I would not call this record precisely ‘confessional’ – nevertheless, this was an intense one to make. I think I owe a lot to Joel Ford, with whom I worked on the record, and my friends and loved ones for supporting me through a chaotic and profound artistic and psychological process. They held space for me to dive very deep.

TSH: Were you looking to present certain features of this record to result in joy, release and freedom?

Tom: Not really. I was looking to relate, alternately, consuming fear and saving tenderness. Ultra chtonic and utlra angelic. I was trying to express the unfreedom of the present, and the miraculous persistence of (possible) love in the midst of all this hell!

TSH: Being a fan of literature, did you read much in the lead-up to this release?

Tom: Ya! I read a lot of poetry and mystical stuff – heaps of Franck Andre Jamme, Maggie Nelson, Anne Sexton, Rene Char, Blanchot, Villaurutia, Clarice Lispector, Gaby Losoncy (and lots of other stuff from Amphetamine Sulphate).

TSH: What was the process like in forming ‘A Memory, The Spinning of a Body • Nonkilling 2’?

Tom: Low key. It was one of the easier songs on the record. It came together with great ease. This lyric/concept “if no one had entered the room, then who closed the door?” really just launched the song into being.

TSH: Moreover, how did you settle on your vocal direction for ‘Love Means Taking Action’?

Tom: I just started singing over the Croatian Amor song of the same name – and the song is very prosaic and repetitive, almost like an incantation. It came quite easily.

TSH: You’ve mentioned that you feel like you’ve finally actually hit your stride – do your creative endeavours make you feel more positive than ever?

Tom: Creating the work, yes. However, the rest of this work – the ‘industry’ portion of it – is really quite dreadful! However, I feel extremely lucky to be able to share my work with people all over the world.

TSH: How pleasing has it been to have so many shared moments with audiences on your extensive tours?

Tom: Ya, see – this is priceless and so important.

TSH: Does playing with mangled technology still feel really important to you with your music?

Tom: Yes, absolutely.

TSH: You’ve reflected on feeling like we’re so separate in reality, with this in mind, do you feel like today’s fast paced digital age is kind of like information overload at times?

Tom: “We already know too much – we have an excess of information, but we have no idea what to do with it.” – Paul B Preciado

TSH: What did you make of the movie Herditary?

Tom: Middling movie. Brilliant premise, plot ends with a relatively cheap horror copout – I’d love to see a serious movie about the horror of heredity.

TSH: How was your birthday spent recently?

Tom: Oh, I had the best one yet I think. I put a song out, went for an AMAZING meal (top 3 of my life), and spent time with so many beautiful friends in LA.

TSH: Also, on your recent European tour, which places had the best veggie options?

Tom: Food in Vilnius was amazing. We also ate at a truly elite vegan restaurant in Stockholm.

TSH: Who are your top 3 Denver Nuggets players of all-time?

Tom: Anotnio McDyess, Chauncey Billups and Nikola Jokić.

TSH: Finally, what’s led you to feeling most rejuvenated with your musical ventures in recent times?

Tom: Creating honestly and not thinking about commerce at all. Paradoxically, this is also what has brought me quite a bit of difficulty.

How To Dress Well - “Nonkilling 6 | Hunger”

How To Dress Well - “Body Fat”