King Krule - Man Alive!

Recorded in London and Stockport with saxophonist Ignacio Salvadores and co-producer Dilip Harris, King Krule's new album Man Alive! was made, just like its predecessors, by night.

Initially, Marshall drew inspiration from thinking about the many head injuries he has suffered from assorted accidents in his life. Mostly, though, he wrote about his changing surroundings. It arcs from the King Krule staples of guttural anger and noise, to the lush guitars and zen-like contentment that frame Airport Antenatal Airplane (which samples Nilüfer Yanya's voice and is dedicated to his new daughter). Even the sedative Alone, Omen 3, written about finding empowerment in depression, feels joyous. A patchwork of sampled voices and field recordings add to Man Alive!'s pleasantly dazed atmosphere. On the record which, at 40 minutes, is his shortest so far there is a sense that something inside him is thawing. "I see a beauty in everything that I knew was always there, but I can understand it a lot more now", he says. "I really like the beauty in the lows, the highs, the hatred and the love, I appreciate humanity, the people around me and conversation. I'm more open, accepting and interested".

Heavyweight vinyl produced by True Panther Sounds in 2020. Gatefold sleeve.