Claude VonStroke Enters a New Era with ‘I Was the Wolf’

Claude VonStroke makes his long-awaited return with the transformative, two-track EP, I Was the Wolf.

The theme for this year is reinvention. The signs of impending collapse, combined with ongoing uncertainty, have created the perfect canvas for identity transformation. If tomorrow isn’t promised, who would you be today?

Claude VonStroke answers this question on his latest two-track EP, I Was the Wolf.

After a two-year hiatus, the former head of Dirtybird has returned with the anticipated EP and the launch of his coinciding Life of Leisure tour. The return follows a public departure he made from his “Claude VonStroke” persona to focus on his project centered on bass and hip-hop under his birth name, Barclay Crenshaw.

The A-side, “I Was the Wolf,” has an ominous feel to it. The “plucking strings in space” sound, Claude’s sonic signature, swings across a distinctly Detroit bass line. Its Y2K-electro influences cannot be overlooked either. All flows nicely together until the vocal pierces through: a static-ridden, mildly unsettling voice that sounds like it echoes across dimensions for the feature.

Meanwhile, the B-side, “Move With The Pack,” feels like a red velvet robe and a cigar. The tune of elevator music chimes over a sultry snare and an intoxicating beat. Imagine a wolf walking down an abandoned road in a haunted forest, the rest of his pack behind him. They walk from left to right with a spooky swag about them, the wind rushing by. That’s what Move With the Pack sounds like.

So, who does Barclay want to be if the world is ending? Well, it looks like he wants to be Claude. The best version of Claude he can be.

Both tracks feel like listening to a newly hatched version of the groove connoisseur. His signature sonic elements are still present, but everything sounds fresher. It sounds leveled up and more mature. It’s proof that to grow, we have to fall in love with the journey, whatever that may look like. If old Claude is the Tin Man, then I Was the Wolf would be his heart.

Listen to I Am the Wolf on Spotify or select streaming platforms, and follow Claude VonStroke on social media to stay in the know on his upcoming tour dates and more.

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