The Lo-Fi Brilliance of How To Dress Well
Describing the music of Tom Krell aka How to Dress Well is a tricky proposition. The easy route would be dubbing his sound as esoteric, lo-fi indie-soul, but that would be painfully inadequate. There is something much deeper at play here. After a few listens of his latest LP, Care, it’s obvious that he’s an artist with more grandiose ambitions. Each song attempts to mark its own sonic territory, with his soul-searching lyrics, multi-layered instrumentation, sincere falsetto vocals, and dynamic arrangements creating an uncanny yet harmonious balance. This is all quite intentional, as he explains, “Every record I make feels like a totally new world to me, but on the other hand, it feels like thoughts are always being realized, refined and transformed.”
This expansive range of tone and emotion is evident throughout the entirety of his latest offering [released last September]. The album is rife with soulful yearning, heartfelt proclamations, simmering sexual vibes, and swirling, righteous grooves. Tracks like the stellar album opener, “Can’t You Tell” exude seductive energy and catchy melodies. The steamy lyrics include the lines, “When you walked in, I want to throw you down and take you right there.” Elsewhere songs like “Lost Youth/Lost You” and “Anxious” reveal a more earnest, delicate and even fragile side of the singer.
To fully understand the evolution of Tom Krell’s career, you have to go back to 2009, the genesis of his musical conception. He debuted his music to the masses via an irresistible moniker and a flurry of rapid-fire creativity, releasing 6 EPs in 7 months. And then came his official LP releases. “The first two records were pieces of the same wave,” he begins, “but the last two records are similar to visiting different rooms and entering different sonic spaces.” It’s impossible to put his sound in a neat box, because he’s completely aware that life itself encompasses a plethora of moods. “There are times for listening to albums that can just be in the background,” he says, “and there are times for albums where every song makes its own statement.”
“There are times for albums where every song makes its own statement.”
After living and recording music all over the world (Berlin, Montreal, London, NYC, Chicago) Krell recently relocated to sunny Los Angeles where he’s starting his new album and studying for a PHD in Philosophy. The philosophy thing threw us for a loop, so naturally we had to delve deeper. “I’m really interested [and vexed] by just being alive,” he opines. “Music is a way for me to constantly create value, but it’s more earthly and inter-human; philosophy on the other hand is one scale up, and it really addresses the bigger themes like ‘what is meaning?’ and ‘what is being?’”
This intricate psychological counterbalance of How To Dress Well is the most intriguing facet of his persona. One minute he could be talking excitedly about ambient dance music or his recent lack of interest in rap music, and the very next sentence, you can be having an extremely cerebral conversation about existential paradoxes.
“Music is a way for me to constantly create value, but it’s more earthly and inter-human.”
Over the years, his fans have remained loyal to his free-form evolution, and at this point, they almost demand it from him. “My fans don’t see the discontinuity,” he proudly states. “They are always ready for the ride.” He even recounted a recent live show experience in DC were the crowd consisted of predominantly lesbian women of color; an occurrence he was particularly proud of.
On the subject of style, the lanky 6’3” artist approaches the matter with as much calculated thought as his philosophical musings and textured musical soundscapes. “I probably shop too much,” he says laughingly. “Back in 2010, all I wore was black on black, no logos, with black vans, and then from 2010-2016, I wore only fabrics that were extremely soft and luxe – and absolutely no denim.” He also shared his unique affinity for fresh footwear. “Shoes are a key thing for me; when I look at an outfit, shoes are always the deal breaker. I recently copped these bright orange Eytys sneaker, and they’re such an extravagant thing to wear; it feels bold.”
For the next few months, How to Dress Well is making more progress on his fifth LP. Whenever the process is complete, we’re certain the finished product will be another remarkable exercise in relentless evolution. “It’s my life and it’s a career,” he says sincerely, “you just have to let it flow where it flows.”
For more info on Tom Krell, visit his website here.
Follow him on IG at: @HowtoDresswell
