Bobby Krlic shares “N/Y,” the first new piece of solo music released as The Haxan Cloak in over a decade. Blistering and propulsive, “N/Y” draws upon the sonic hallmarks Krlic established as fundamental to The Haxan Cloak but with newfound depth drawn from the skills that he has honed over the past decade composing music for film and TV. It is accompanied by a visual also produced and directed by Krlic.
‘N/Y’ is a feeling I’ve had for a really long time,” he says of the track. “It was made with the intention of being something that I could play live only, and was just this burst of intensity that could re-contextualize anywhere I would play it in. I kept working on it and it became something that I wanted to hear regardless of the context. I made the video in the same way. Making charcoal drawings and oil paintings, then fusing these together with self-shot video of myself in my studio. It feels immediate and without compromise. It was made quickly, in a moment, with complete intention. I really hope it changes the space you’re in.”
Krlic’s work in the early 2010’s as The Haxan Cloak bridged the then radically separated worlds of avant garde, drone, metal and electronic music. Earning critical praise from the likes of DAZED, The FADER Pitchfork, Mixmag, The Quietus, The New York Times and The Wire, among others, Krlic’s staunchly independent output brought him to the attention of such luminaries as Björk, Goldfrapp, and Father John Misty as an in-demand producer. Since 2015 he has established himself as a composer for Film, Television and Games, winning a BAFTA award for his score to the Playstation 5 flagship game, Returnal and an Ivor Novello award for his original score for Midsommar, a celebrated artistic collaboration with director Ari Aster. He returned to this collaboration this year with Beau Is Afraid. In addition to his recurring work with Aster, Krlic has flexed his compositional chops for two radically different projects this year, contributing scores to A24 and Netflix’s No.1 acclaimed dark comedy thriller Beef and Warner Bros and DC Studios’ Blue Beetle, the latter of which went on to top the box office upon release.
The release of “N/Y” coincides with the announcement of Archaic Devices, a new label founded by Krlic that will serve as the home for his future releases as The Haxan Cloak alongside reissues of his past work under the moniker. Krlic admits that starting a record label wasn’t something that had occurred to him until he finished building his own home studio in LA and he regained the master tapes to his records from various underground labels. All of his archival releases have been remastered, with aspects of their design and presentation tightened up by Krlic to present his music exactly as he initially intended. Working with revered visual artist Christopher Leckie, Krlic has built a stark, unique identity for his newly minted label Archaic Devices that extends to a new line of merchandise, as well as new visual directions for the label’s first and forthcoming releases.
TRACK LISTING
SIDE A:
N/Y
SIDE B:
N/Y
