Pigeon Spins Featuring an Interview with Criwolf

Criwolf - More Than Ever

Interview with Criwolf

(•)> What personal experience or idea first sparked More Than Ever?

The initial spark came from moments of profound disorientation, where I questioned the very essence of what I was witnessing within myself and in others. I became acutely aware of how our lives are saturated with emotions that can completely shatter us, as I experienced in my own past. From that place of fracture, a powerful desire for transformation emerged—a yearning to navigate experiences of symbolic death and rebirth within a single lifetime.

(•)> Why did you choose the raven as the central symbol of transformation?

I chose the raven because it is the ultimate alchemist of the soul. In shamanism, the raven is a sacred 'psychopomp' – a guide that traverses the threshold between the worlds of the known and the unknown. It doesn't just represent change; it embodies the intelligent, sometimes dark, process of tearing down old structures so that new consciousness can be built. In 'More than ever,' the raven watches over this sacred disintegration, ensuring that the journey through the void is not one of despair, but of purposeful purification and rebirth. We translated the 'death' through a dark, atmospheric soundscape—minimalist guitar lines that echo like memories in an empty space, and haunting vocals that embody the feeling of letting go. The 'rebirth' emerges subtly in the arrangement: a growing warmth in the synth pads, the slow evolution of the rhythm, and a determined clarity in the vocal delivery that cuts through the melancholy, symbolizing the dawn after the long night.

(•)> How do you balance melancholy and determination in the composition?

The balance is crafted through specific instrumental choices. The melancholy is carried by the ethereal synth pads and the vulnerable, breathy textures in the vocals. In contrast, the determination is driven by the drum machine—its steady, persistent rhythm acts as an unwavering heartbeat, pushing the song forward through the shadows.

(•)> How do you personally interpret “darkness as purification”?

It is an essential alchemy. We all contain both light and shadow. The 'darkness' is not an enemy to be defeated, but a dense, raw material. When I find myself falling into confusion or sadness, I no longer see it as a failure. Instead, I engage in practices like meditation and Reiki to 'sit with the shadow'—to acknowledge it and allow its energy to be alchemized, thus raising my own frequency. This process is the purification: not avoiding the darkness, but courageously processing it so that it becomes a source of strength and clarity. The risk lies not in feeling the darkness, but in becoming identified with it to the point of forgetting our own light.

(•)> What do you hope remains with the listener after the final note fades?

I hope a sense of reflective hope remains. This was the core intention behind the final scene of the music video, where the raven flies toward the light—a symbolic release from the cycle of transformation. Ultimately, while I've embedded my own narrative, I believe a song truly comes to life when it leaves my hands. Once released, it belongs to everyone. I want each listener to be carried by the sounds and let them resonate with whatever they hold within, finding their own personal truth in the space between the notes

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Criwolf on the Pigeon Spins Playlist