How To Dress Well soulfully serenades the crowd (Joyce Lee/Neon Tommy)

Chicago based singer songwriter Tom Krell (How To Dress Well) put on the first of three one-off shows in California after having just returned from Tokyo this week. The Red Bull sponsored event kicked off at 8 o’clock with L.A. band SWIMM, and the room had already been packed to capacity. When 11 o’clock rolled by, there was no room left in the Sayer’s Club save a tiny space that is actually a walkway. People were excited to see Tom Krell.

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Krell strolled onto the stage in a white man tank and interesting gym shorts designed by a Montreal friend of his, it didn’t seem to fit the music, but somehow, he pulled it off. Backed by his fellow bandmates and Paul Clipson, who came down from San Francisco to project film for the shows, Krell launched into his set filled with favorites off of his first album “Total Loss,” and his most recent (and critically acclaimed) album, "What Is This Heart?." 

Upon your first listen to Krell’s music, his voice is beguiling—the songs sound like they’re meant for the bedroom hour. However, if you take some time to simmer in his artistry and emotions, you find out that his tracks so much deeper than that. When he performs his songs, they come to life. The night altered between slow jams and tastefully upbeat RnB tunes. He played “Repeat Pleasure,” which Krell describes as a “really poppy” song, but it’s also one of his best songs ohf his latest record. The song is sultry and sophisticated, seemingly joyful but laced with feelings of desire and longing. The high note Krell impressively hits when he sings “even broken my heart will go on!” sends shiver down spines, as his voice does in general. 

Throughout the night, Krell sang cuts from “Total Loss” like “& It Was You,” another happy, light love centric song. Between songs, Krell hosted an improv Q&A with the crowd, who asked him where he got his shorts and where he goes to get tacos in Los Angeles. Though his echoey vocals and music sound like they’re shrouded in mystery, Krell is actually quite chatty on stage, which perfectly balances the mood his music evokes. To cut the jokes and happier tracks, Krell also sang “Suicide Dream 1,” a powerful but self described “emo” song Krell wrote when he was moving to Germany and leaving his best friend behind in the states. Light on instrumental accompaniment, “Sucide Dream 1” allowed Krell’s beautifully delicate falsetto to shine through. For the whole show, Krell had already been skillfully bouncing his vocals around on two microphones to create lo-fi, chamber-like effects. But during “Suicide Dream 1,” Krell pushed aside the microphones at the end of the song and sang a few bars in a room that became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. For lack of a better term, his voice was angelic and bone chilling, a better half of the crowd just stared in awe and admiration. 

After than song, the crowd properly indulged in the rest of the set. After singing “Set It Right,” Krell ended with “Words I Don’t Remember,” another top track from “What Is This Heart?” 

Krell has, hands down, one of the best voices I have ever heard. He’s a gem in the indie world and is an act to behold. 

Reach Music Editor Joyce Jude Lee here.