How to Dress Well
“Words I Don’t Remember”
Digital Single
Within seconds of listening to Tom Krell’s spellbinding new single, it’s clear that he’s never gone this far. That he’s never pulled the curtains back like this. That he’s never let this much light in.
“Words I Don’t Remember” — HTDW’s first studio work since 2012’s superb, Total Loss — continues his astonishing transformation from reverb-soaked, lo-fi shadow lurker to full-on clear-eyed, full-hearted, can’t-lose pop singer. It also highlights how natural and seamless that progression has been.
After listening to the track four or five times, I went back and listened to Love Remains (my favorite LP of 2010 and possible favorite album of the last five years). I was struck by both how singular it still sounds and how far Krell has come as a songwriter and vocalist. That said, no matter how much he’s drifted toward traditional, palatable pop music in the last four years, he still sounds like nobody else. In fact, you could argue that “Words I Don’t Remember” is just as subversive and challenging as any of his beguiling, occasionally desolate early work.
Over a stark chord progression, Krell deftly builds an arresting devotional that seeks to answer what happens to the purity of love, commitment, and trust in ” this world of simulations” (his words, not mine). While it sounds like drama camp stuff at face value, every ounce of that comes through in the ensuing six minutes. Though undoubtedly a gifted lyricist, Krell has always had a knack for communicating wordlessly (see: 95% of Love Remains), and it’s fitting that a song called “Words I Don’t Remember” packs such a devastating wordless crescendo, beautifully expressing the essence of the emotion that so often leaves us speechless. It is also the answer to his core quandary simply put, who fucking knows what happens to all that good stuff? But, like all the most important questions, it’s not about figuring out the answers; it’s just about seeking them.
It’s gorgeous. It’s powerful. It’s the best song I’ve heard so far this year.
