Listen: How to Dress Well – “Ocean Floor for Everything”

Photo via How to Dress Well's Facebook

“Ocean Floor for Everything” is the first song given to us as a teaser for the upcoming sophomore LP from Tom Krell, aka How to Dress Well, titled Total Loss. Apropos to it’s album’s namesake, “Ocean Floor…” is a song of loss – a requiem for a friend who passed. At first, it is a somber recanting of memories of Krell’s friend. There lies, though, a hidden triumph, as he raises his voice to the point of distortion to say, “I have my place / I have my home / I have my future.” The song becomes a celebration of their bond, not just as living friends, but also as eternal spirits.

While much of How to Dress Well’s debut, Love Remains, was so cut and gauzed by his sound design that hardly a word could be parsed, “Ocean Floor…” relies heavily on its lyrical clarity – both in production and meaning. A simple electric keyboard line hangs behind him as he articulates so perfectly everything he wants you to know. Krell has always leaned more toward ambiguity for the sake of aesthetic, but this time the meaning is far too important to leave up to the listener.

In it’s latter half, “Ocean Floor…” harkens back to the beat and energy of “Decisions,” the most percussive tune on Love Remains. Where “Decision” had an almost tribal rhythm paired with Krell’s repeating “whoo,” here it’s an anthemic, driving 4/4 and a full chorus shouting, “hey!” This is the moment when the lighters (or whatever people hold up at concerts these days) come out.

Total Loss is due out in September on Acéphale. Listen to “Ocean Floor for Everything” below, via How to Dress Well’s SoundCloud.