The Haxan Cloak
The Haxan Cloak | |
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![]() The Haxan Cloak performing at the 2014 Pitchfork Music Festival | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Bobby Krlic |
Born | 1985 (age 35–36) Wakefield, England |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, record producer |
Years active | 2009–present |
Labels | Aurora Borealis Tri Angle |
Associated acts |
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Website | thehaxancloak |
Bobby Krlic (born 1985),[1] known by his stage name The Haxan Cloak, is a British composer, artist, music producer and musician. Over the past decade, Bobby Krlic has created music under The Haxan Cloak, releasing two full-length albums (2011’s The Haxan Cloak and 2013’s Excavation).[2][3] As a producer, Krlic has worked with artists including Björk,[4] Father John Misty,[5] Khalid,[6] Troye Sivan,[7] Goldfrapp,[8] serpentwithfeet,[9] The Body,[10] and noise-rock band HEALTH.[11] As a composer, Bobby’s credits include Midsommar [12] directed by Ari Aster, Michael Mann’s Blackhat (in collaboration with Oscar-winning composer Atticus Ross),[13] Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 (in collaboration with Swans)[14] and major network television shows Snowpiercer, Angel of Darkness (TNT) [15] and Reprisal (Hulu).[16]
Early life and education[edit]
Krlic was born and raised in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.[17] He is of Serbian descent.[18] He studied music and visual arts at the University of Brighton.[19]
Music career[edit]
The Haxan Cloak releases[edit]
Bobby Krlic’s first release as The Haxan Cloak was the Observatory E.P., landing as a cassette via Aurora Borealis on Halloween 2010.[20] A year later, Krlic recorded his first album, The Haxan Cloak, in his parents' shed using strings, mics and a laptop, playing every instrument himself.[21] The second LP, Excavation, was released in 2013, and has a more electronic feel, using samples and heavy bass, along with distorted field recordings made by Krlic.[21]
In 2012, The Haxan Cloak released a limited edition, one track, 27-minute live recording, The Men Parted the Sea to Devour the Water, as a part of Southern Records' Latitudes series.
Production credits[edit]
In 2014, Krlic teamed up with American sludge metal band The Body to produce their 2014 album I Shall Die Here.[22] In the same year he produced Victim by noise rock band HEALTH.[23] Krlic also collaborated with Björk as a co-producer on her album Vulnicura, released in January 2015.[24] Since then, he produced serpentwithfeet’s E.P. Blisters,[25] contributed numerous tracks to Goldfrapp’s album Silver Eye,[26] Heaven by Khalid from his Free Spirit LP,[27] Animal by Troye Sivan,[28] and Father John Misty’s track Fallin’ Rain.[29] in addition to co-producing To S. / To R. released in 2020 via Subpop.[30]
Scoring work[edit]
Krlic was invited by Oscar-winning score composer Atticus Ross to work with him on Michael Mann's film Blackhat released in 2015.[13] In 2016, Krlic continued his work with Ross, co-scoring Triple 9, directed by John Hillcoat,[31] and the soundtrack to Almost Holy, a documentary directed by Steve Hoover.[32] In 2019, Krlic scored Ari Aster’s sophomore feature horror film Midsommar for which Krlic won Best Original Score at the 2020 Ivor Novello Awards.[33] Within television, Krlic has scored a number of major network shows including TNT’s Snowpiercer [34] and Angel of Darkness,[15] Hulu’s Reprisal [35] and Netflix’s Seven Seconds.[36] In 2020 he collaborated with Swans on a Halloween Pass of Red Dead Redemption 2 by Rockstar Games.[37]
Touring[edit]
In 2014, The Haxan Cloak toured the United States visiting Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.[38] He performed at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple along with Robert Henke and his music and light show, Lumière,[39] and in Los Angeles with Pharmakon.[40] The New York Times called The Haxan Cloak's set "amorphous, ominous and immersive, a transcendent plunge into darkness and overwhelming pressure". The Haxan Cloak performed a solo show at Manchester International Festival in 2017.[41] Bobby Krlic also joined Björk on her Vulnicura tour in the U.S (including The Governor’s Ball in New York) and Europe.
Music style[edit]
Krlic's music is almost entirely instrumental, and is often described as dark, carefully constructed, textured and atmospheric, with heavy bass and elements of drone metal.[42][21] Of his albums, Krlic has said, "The first record was about a person's decline towards death, so this one's about the journey he takes afterwards." The name Haxan Cloak derives from the Swedish "häxan", meaning "the witch".[42]
Excavation was rated a 9 out of 10 by Spin,[2] and an 8.7 out of 10 by Pitchfork,[21] who also named it the 29th-best album of 2013.[21] Rolling Stone named it the 16th-best dance album of 2013.[22]
Midsommar received wide critical praise including a 9/10 from The Line of Best Fit, ranked 2 in Insider’s Top 20 Best Movie and TV Soundtracks of The Decade,[43][44] and critic Glenn Kenny of the New York Times stating that “The remarkable music score by Bobby Krlic aka The Haxan Cloak is also a major contributor to the uncanny feeling the movie creates. Top Stuff."[45]
Awards[edit]
2020 Midsommar — Winner, Best Original Soundtrack – Ivor Novello Awards [33]
2019 Midsommar – Nominee, Breakthrough Composer of the Year – International Film Music Critics Association [46]
Personal life[edit]
Krlic moved from London to Los Angeles in 2015.[47] As of 2016, he resides in the Silver Lake area.[48]
Discography[edit]
Albums[edit]
Year | Title |
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2011 | The Haxan Cloak
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2013 | Excavation
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Extended plays[edit]
Year | Title |
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2009 | The Haxan Cloak
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2011 | Observatory
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2012 | The Men Parted the Sea to Devour the Water
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Film soundtracks[edit]
Year | Film | Artist | Details |
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2015 | Blackhat | Atticus Ross | Programmer |
2016 | Triple 9 | Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Claudia Sarne | Composer, engineer, mixer, performer, producer, programmer |
Almost Holy | Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Bobby Krlic | Performer, composer | |
2019 | Midsommar | Bobby Krlic | Composer[49] |
TV & video game soundtracks[edit]
Year | Project | Artist | Details |
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2018 | Seven Seconds | Bobby Krlic | Composer, Producer |
2019 | The Alienist: Angel of Darkness | Bobby Krlic | Composer, Producer |
2019 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Bobby Krlic | Composer, Producer |
2019 | Reprisal | Bobby Krlic | Composer, Producer |
2021 | Snowpiercer | Bobby Krlic | Composer, Producer |
Songwriting and production credits[edit]
Title | Year | Artist | Album | Songwriter | Producer | |||
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Primary | Secondary | Additional | Vocal | |||||
"To Carry the Seeds of Death Within In" | 2014 | The Body | I Shall Die Here | ![]() |
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"Alone All the Way" | ![]() |
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"The Night Knows No Dawn" | ![]() |
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"Hail to Thee, Everlasting Pain" | ![]() |
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"Our Souls Were Clean" | ![]() |
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"Darkness Surrounds Us" | ![]() |
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"Like Chrome" | Wife | What's Between | ![]() |
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"Tongue" | ![]() |
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"Heart is a Far Light" | ![]() |
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"Salvage" | ![]() |
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"Dans Ce" | ![]() |
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"A Nature (Shards)" | ![]() |
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"Living Joy" | ![]() |
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"Fruit Tree" | ![]() |
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"Further Not Better" | ![]() |
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"Unites" | Lost Under Heaven | Spiritual Songs for Lovers to Sing | ![]() |
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"Family" | 2015 | Björk | Vulnicura | ![]() |
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"Victim" | Health | Death Magic | ![]() |
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"I&I" | 2016 | Lost Under Heaven | Spiritual Songs for Lovers to Sing | ![]() |
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"Beneath the Concrete" | ![]() |
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"Future Blues" | ![]() |
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"Someday Come" | ![]() |
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"$oro" | ![]() |
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"Here Our Moment Ends" | ![]() |
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"Loyalty" | ![]() |
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"Lost Under Heaven" | ![]() |
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"First Eye to the New Sky" | ![]() |
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"Lament" | ![]() |
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"The Great Longing" | ![]() |
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"Flickering" | Serpentwithfeet | Blisters EP | ![]() |
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"Blisters" | ![]() |
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"Four Ethers" | ![]() |
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"Penance" (featuring Andre Goldenhuys) |
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"Redemption" | ![]() |
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"Anymore" | 2017 | Goldfrapp | Silver Eye | ![]() |
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"Tigerman" | ![]() |
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"Become the One" | ![]() |
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"Faux Seude Drifter" | ![]() |
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"Zodiac Black" | ![]() |
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"Moon in Your Mouth" | ![]() |
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"Ocean" | ![]() |
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"Animal" | 2018 | Troye Sivan | Bloom | ![]() |
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"Fallin' Rain" | Father John Misty | Non-album single | ![]() |
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"Heaven" | 2019 | Khalid | Free Spirit | ![]() |
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References[edit]
- ^ “New Talent: The Haxan Cloak,” Fact, 29 July 2011.
- ^ a b "The Haxan Cloak: Excavation". Pitchfork.
- ^ "'The Haxan Cloak', by HAXAN CLOAK". Aurora Borealis Recordings.
- ^ Camp, Zoe. "Björk Collaborating with the Haxan Cloak on New Album". Pitchfork.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew. "Father John Misty Enlists the Haxan Cloak for New Remix: Listen". Pitchfork.
- ^ "How the Haxan Cloak's Bobby Krlic brought unnerving beauty to Midsommar". The FADER.
- ^ "Troye Sivan Shares New Song 'Animal'". PAPER. 9 August 2018.
- ^ "Beggars Music". beggarsmusic.com.
- ^ "serpentwithfeet: blisters". Pitchfork.
- ^ "The Body: I Shall Die Here". Pitchfork.
- ^ "The Quietus | News | The Haxan Cloak & HEALTH Collaborating". The Quietus.
- ^ "The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | The Haxan Cloak Talks His 'Midsommar' Score". The Quietus.
- ^ a b "Interview with Midsommar composer, The Haxan Cloak". The HotCorn. 9 July 2019.
- ^ "Swans and The Haxan Cloak team up on new 'Red Dead Online' tracks". 1 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Bobby Krlic (The Haxan Cloak) Scoring TNT's 'The Alienist: Angel of Darkness' | Film Music Reporter".
- ^ says, Gary Jr. "Bobby Krlic (The Haxan Cloak) Scoring Hulu's 'Reprisal' | Film Music Reporter".
- ^ Larry Fitzmaurice, “Rising: The Haxan Cloak,” Pitchfork, 21 February 2013.
- ^ Gibb, Rory (30 November 2011). "The Quietus | Features | In Extremis | Hubble, Bubble, Toil & Trouble: The Haxan Cloak Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ Nick Johnstone, “Interview: The Haxan Cloak,” Archived 27 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine The Stool Pigeon, 8 January 2013.
- ^ "'Observatory' E.P., by HAXAN CLOAK". Aurora Borealis Recordings.
- ^ a b c d e "The Haxan Cloak, 'Excavation' (Tri Angle)". Spin. 16 April 2013.
- ^ a b Minsker, Evan. "The Body Team With the Haxan Cloak for I Shall Die Here, Share "Hail to Thee, Everlasting Pain"". Pitchfork.
- ^ "HEALTH's 'Death Magic': How a Noise Band, Haxan Cloak & Kanye's Engineer Made 2015's Coolest Heavy Album". Billboard.
- ^ "Inside Track: Björk's Vulnicura". www.soundonsound.com.
- ^ "serpentwithfeet - blisters - LP". Rough Trade.
- ^ Johnston, Maura (29 March 2017). "Goldfrapp: How Instagram, Nature's Mysteries Influenced 'Tougher' New LP".
- ^ "Heaven" – via www.kkbox.com.
- ^ "Troye Sivan: Bloom". Pitchfork.
- ^ Roberts, Christopher. "Father John Misty Covers Link Wray's "Fallin' Rain" in New "Castle Rock" Trailer". undertheradarmag.com.
- ^ Shaffer, Claire (17 August 2020). "Father John Misty Shares 'To S.'/'To R.' on Sub Pop Singles Club".
- ^ "Triple 9 (2016) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "Atticus Ross / Leopold Ross / Bobby Krlic: Almost Holy OST". Pitchfork.
- ^ a b "The Ivors 2020 Winners Announced". The Ivors Academy. 2 September 2020.
- ^ "Snowpiercer Season 2 Netflix Series". Snowpiercer Season 2 Netflix Series.
- ^ "Bobby Krlic: "That pushed me in a direction I had not gone before in scoring"". 23 December 2019.
- ^ "Bobby Krlic Scoring Netflix's 'Seven Seconds' | Film Music Reporter".
- ^ Minsker, Evan. "The Haxan Cloak and Swans Share New Song for Red Dead Online". Pitchfork.
- ^ Studarus, Laura. "The Haxan Cloak Announces U.S. Tour Dates". undertheradarmag.com.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (12 May 2014). "An Electronic Double Bill to Shiver the Timbers (Published 2014)" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Line Up - The Haxan Cloak + Pharmakon (ATP at Netil House)". All Tomorrow's Parties.
- ^ https://mif.co.uk/previous-festivals/mif17/dark-matter/the-haxan-cloak/
- ^ a b "The Haxan Cloak". Pitchfork.
- ^ Ge, Linda. "20 best movie and TV soundtracks of the decade, according to critics". Insider.
- ^ "Bobby Krlic's Midsommar OST matches the dreadful power of a truly masterful genre film". The Line of Best Fit.
- ^ "A thread written by @Glenn__Kenny". threader.app.
- ^ "IFMCA Award Nominations 2019". 6 February 2020.
- ^ "The Haxan Cloak on His Electronic Drone Metal: "I Want to Be the Most Intense Thing on the Bill Wherever I Play"". Thump. Retrieved 9 August 2017. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "New studio coming along slowly... @ Silverlake, La". Twitter. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2017. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (19 June 2019). "The Haxan Cloak Releasing Score for New Film Midsommar". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 June 2019. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)