User:Orchastrattor/Sandbox/Crywolf

Justin Taylor Phillips, known professionally as Crywolf, is an American independent and electronic musician best known for his emotionally charged lyrics and self-produced instrumentation, combining synthesizers and sampling with traditional percussion and strings. Phillips originally began producing music in the online dubstep and electronic dance music (EDM) scenes under the stage name of Cry Wolf with Ghosts EP (2013), later diversifying his sound as Crywolf (also termed the Crywolf project) with a greater focus on experimentation, vocals, and guitar as he continued to release EPs and singles. Phillips has received particular praise and attention for his long play albums, debuting with the hit Cataclasm in 2015 and releasing Widow and Exuvium in 2019 and 2022 respectively as part of a two-part concept album titled Oblivion.

Personal life
Phillips was raised in Hong Kong before moving to New York City as a child, eventually settling in Los Angeles. After dropping out of university Phillips would spend much of his life traveling, including stints in Bali, Iceland, South America, and Canada.

He has repeatedly discussed living with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder for the majority of his life, which he cites as the primary motivations behind his musical career.

Career and musical style
Phillips began producing and singing as a "diversion" under the stage name of Cry Wolf but found surprise success with his debut Ghosts, releasing a series of additional EPs including Angels (2014), Runaway (with Ianborg, 2014), and Dysphoria (2015).

Cataclasm, Phillips's first full-length album, debuted in 2015 with an exclusive premier on Billboard. Phillips described the album as an artistic breakthrough after growing creatively dissatisfied with EDM. The album featured a combination of electronic and physical instrumentals largely recorded during a month and a half-long retreat in rural Iceland, with strong melodies and traditional verse-chorus-verse structures Vice described as emblematic of a then-emerging genre of Post-EDM, alongside acts such as Porter Robinson or Anna Yvette. Phillips himself was quoted as comparing the evolution of the genre to the transition from hardcore punk to melodic hardcore and post-hardcore.

Phillips would continue the experimental direction of Cataclasm with the release of a 7-track EP titled Skeletons in 2017.

In 2018, Phillips released the song "QUIXØTE [i am alone, and they are everyone]" after his previous work was lost when his equipment was stolen by a Chilean street gang. "QUIXØTE" became the launching single of a multimedia concept project titled Oblivion, with an album released in two 'acts' titled Widow (2019) and Exuvium (2022) (stylized as OBLIVI​Ø​N, widow, and exuvium respectively) that Phillips advertised as his most ambitious and personal project yet in interviews. Exuvium was also noted by an interviewer for its additional religious and occult themes, including Latin chanting and strong Biblical imagery.

Phillips's career has included collaborations with other electronic artists such as EDEN, Mothica, AWAY, Roniit, Skrux, and SLDGHMR. Cataclasm, both acts of Oblivion, and a number of Crywolf's EPs were distributed by Okami Records, alongside contracts with Songs Music Publishing and Always Never Records.

Touring
Phillips launched live tours to promote Cataclasm and Oblivion, with elaborate, rock-style live shows noted as a considerable departure from the dancefloor circuit usually enjoyed by Crywolf's EDM contemporaries. The Oblivion tour was also supported by AWAY. Other performances included the Untz music festival

Reception
Phillips has received widespread praise for his complex production and dark, deeply personal lyrical themes. YourEDM.com named Cataclasm the tenth-best EDM album of 2015 and the LP peaked at number 8 on the Billboard dance/electronic charts after Angels and Runaway had both enjoyed moderate chart success in previous years. Dysphoria and Oblivion both received overwhelming praise in their own right,  including particular attention afforded to songs such as "Shrike", the 'deep cut' "Cephalotus" and the single "Ultraviolent [she sang to me a language strange]". Reviewers have also noted a near-universally positive response online to Crywolf on Facebook and other sites.

Filmography
Phillips has released several music videos to promote certain singles from Cataclasm onward. This includes Adah and Mabúl, music videos marketed as the two acts of a standalone short film titled WIDOW.