King Krule

---

title: "King Krule" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1994-births", "living-people", "rappers-from-london", "english-rappers", "rappers-from-the-london-borough-of-southwark", "english-punk-rock-musicians", "english-male-singer-songwriters", "english-singer-songwriters", "people-educated-at-the-brit-school", "english-baritones", "xl-recordings-artists", "british-trip-hop-musicians", "21st-century-english-male-singers", "people-from-southwark", "mount-kimbie"] description: "English singer-songwriter, musician, and producer" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Krule" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary English singer-songwriter, musician, and producer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

Field	Value
name	King Krule
image	File:Melt-2013-King Krule-16.jpg
caption	Marshall performing in Germany in 2013
landscape	yes
birth_name	Archy Ivan Marshall
alias
birth_date
birth_place	Southwark, London, England
genre
occupation
instrument
years_active	2010–present
label
associated_acts
website
::

| name = King Krule | image = File:Melt-2013-King Krule-16.jpg | caption = Marshall performing in Germany in 2013 | landscape = yes | birth_name = Archy Ivan Marshall | alias = | birth_date = | birth_place = Southwark, London, England | genre = | occupation = | instrument = | years_active = 2010–present | label = | associated_acts = | website =

Archy Ivan Marshall (born 24 August 1994), also known by his stage name King Krule, among other names, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, rapper and record producer, known for projects such as "6 Feet Beneath The Moon" and "The Ooz".

He began recording music in 2010 under the moniker Zoo Kid. The following year he adopted his present stage name. He has released several EPs and his debut full-length album, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, was released in 2013 to positive critical reception. His second album, A New Place 2 Drown was released in 2015. His third and fourth albums, The Ooz, and Man Alive!, were released in 2017 and 2020 respectively, both to further critical acclaim. He released his fifth and most recent album, Space Heavy, in 2023.

His music blends elements of punk jazz with hip hop, darkwave, trip hop and post-punk.

Early life

Archy Marshall was born to Rachel Howard and Adam Marshall in Southwark, London. He has family in the Czech Republic. During an interview with The Guardians Rob Fitzpatrick, Marshall said that from a young age, he experienced discipline issues and refused to go to school. Throughout his childhood, he spent much of his time between his father's house in Peckham and his mother's house in East Dulwich; his mother was much less strict than his father, who had many rules. Marshall recalls that his father had to physically carry him to school, otherwise he would skip and hide in his room. Once he turned 13 years old, he was given a private house tutor. He was later accepted into the Brit School to study art, where he struggled with discipline initially, but soon found his place.

Marshall is a childhood friend and neighbour of South London musician Jacob Read, better known as Jerkcurb.

Marshall has said that he was tested for several mental health conditions at London's Maudsley Hospital. He claims that the tests took a toll on him; that the doctors, counsellors and psychiatrists were wrong most of the time; that he hated everybody; and that he would hide in his room for hours on end. He refers to his mental health issues, such as depression and insomnia, in some of his lyrics.

During an interview with NPR, Marshall recalled that he often created art in many different media, as his parents encouraged creativity throughout his childhood. He noted that visual art in particular is important to him, and he mentioned that he carefully crafts his music videos and album art such that they reflect his particular aesthetic sensibility.

Career

During Marshall's years at Forest Hill School and then at the Brit School alongside long-time collaborator Jamie Isaac between 2008 and 2011, he released two singles and an EP under the name Zoo Kid. Marshall's most significant release under this name was his 2010 EP titled U.F.O.W.A.V.E.

In July 2011, Marshall began playing under a new moniker, King Krule, at a festival in Hyères, France. Later that year in November, he released his eponymous debut EP. Contrary to some reports, his stage name is not inspired by the character of King K. Rool from the Donkey Kong Country video game series, but rather by the Elvis Presley film King Creole.

On 9 December 2012, the BBC announced that he had been nominated for the Sound of 2013 poll. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/King_Krule-25.jpg" caption="King Krule performing at Melt! Festival 2013"] ::

On 24 August 2013, Marshall released his debut album, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, featuring an album cover illustrated by his brother, Jack Marshall. At the time of release, more than half of the tracks had already been released on various EPs. This brought him to prominence, especially in the US, having performed televised sets on both Conan and the Late Show with David Letterman. In January 2014, he eventually released a music video for 'A Lizard State', the third single on the album. The following month, Marshall appeared on the cover of The Fader for its 90th issue.

On 10 December 2015, Marshall released an album titled A New Place 2 Drown under his real name, Archy Marshall. He partnered again with his brother Jack to release a 208-page book of visual art and text as well as a ten-minute documentary. In an interview with NPR, Marshall said that he wanted the album to have a physical component, as well as something for the eyes and the ears. He released the album under his real name rather than King Krule to differentiate between the two different genres of music, as he claims that he thought of A New Place 2 Drown as a hip hop album rather than the dark alternative/jazz sound of 6 Feet Beneath the Moon*.*

In April 2017, Marshall played two unreleased songs under the name Edgar the Beatmaker on an NTS Radio show hosted by Mount Kimbie, a group with which Marshall frequently collaborates. Months later in August, Marshall released a new single titled 'Czech One'. This was a King Krule release, the first since the release of his debut album in 2013. The following month, Marshall released a second single titled 'Dum Surfer'. On 13 October, Marshall released The Ooz, his second album as King Krule. The album received positive reviews, and was ranked the #83 most discussed album of 2017 and the 75th most shared album of 2017 according to Metacritic. The album also peaked at 23rd on the UK Official Chart albums ranking. Pitchfork named the album the best rock album of 2017 and the third best album overall of 2017. It was nominated for IMPALA's European Album of the Year Award.

On 8 March 2018, a live performance of songs from The Ooz was uploaded to Marshall's YouTube channel. This performance, directed by Ja Humby, consisted of 8 songs and features Marshall performing dressed as an astronaut on the moon.

On 19 November 2019, Marshall uploaded a video titled 'Hey World!' on his Youtube channel. This video is an analog video recording of live acoustic performances of 4 songs from his upcoming album, directed by Charlotte Patmore. On 14 January 2020, Marshall announced this third King Krule album titled Man Alive! and released the single '(Don't Let the Dragon) Draag On' , as well as the single 'Alone, Omen 3' on 5 February. Days before the album release, he released the 'Cellular' along with an animated music video, directed by Jamie Wolfe. The album was eventually released on 21 February.

On 10 September 2021, Marshall released a live album titled You Heat Me Up, You Cool Me Down, featuring a variety of songs across his discography.

On 13 April 2023, Marshall released a single titled 'Seaforth', touching on Marshall’s fascination with “the space between, space haunted by dreams of love, touching a narrative of lost connection, losing people and situations to the guillotine of the universe". Just under two months later, Marshall released the album Space Heavy on 9 June.

On 20 June 2024, King Krule released an EP titled SHHHHHHH!, along with a self-directed music video for the song 'Time for Slurp'.

Musical style and influences

Many reviewers and journalists have noted King Krule's unusual transcendence and appropriation of disparate genres. His music has been described mainly with jazz derivatives such as punk jazz, jazz fusion, darkwave, post-punk and hip hop. Writers have also noted elements of trip hop, jazz rap and dub in some of his songs. Jason Lymangrover of Allmusic states that his songs are mainly in the form of ballads with major seventh chords, but by contrast there is also a "grittiness" to Archy's voice and persona, portraying him as "the type of kid who would be quick to throw a punch without asking questions".

His music has been likened to Morrissey and Edwyn Collins. He is inspired by disparate influences such as Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Josef K, Chet Baker, Fela Kuti, J Dilla, Billy Bragg, Aztec Camera (his godfather is the band's former drummer, Dave Ruffy) and The Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Marshall said in an interview with The Guardian that he began his musical career with the influence of Pixies and The Libertines.

Marshall's lyrics, according to a Flaunt magazine interview, generally consist of romance, sex, aggression, conflict, and depression. These themes link to his literary influences, in which Marshall further elaborated: "Literature, poems, songs are all very similar[.] I used to read lots of poetry and sit there for ages trying to decipher the meaning, or work out the narration behind it all, then I found my own form of that. [...] you can see how their metaphors develop and understand their uses. So really, I learnt to do that for myself."

Personal life

Marshall has a daughter, born in 2019, with English photographer Charlotte Patmore. Patmore has collaborated with Marshall on photography and videography projects over several years, and has been involved with several of his music videos, including the video for the song 'Cadet Limbo', which Patmore directed in 2017, and Hey World!, a video preceding the release of Marshall's album Man Alive!.

Live band

• Archy Marshall – vocals, guitar, keyboards
• James Wilson – bass, vocals
• George Bass – drums
• Jack Towell – guitar
• Ben Hauke – keyboards, SFX
• Ignacio Salvadores – saxophone

Discography

Studio albums

::data[format=table] | Album | Details | Peak positions | UK | AUS Peaks in Australia: | DEN | FRA | GER | SWE | US | 6 Feet Beneath the Moon | A New Place 2 Drown (as Archy Marshall) | The Ooz | Man Alive! | Space Heavy | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | | 65 | — | 19 | 182 | 100 | 60 | 187 | | | | | | | | | | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | | | | | 23 | 51 | — | 124 | — | — | 114 | | | | | | | | | | 12 | 35 | — | 121 | 42 | — | 84 | | | | | | | | | | 18 | — | — | 191 | — | — | — | | | | | | | | ::

EPs

• 2010: U.F.O.W.A.V.E. (self-released; as Zoo Kid)
• 2010: Out Getting Ribs/Has This Hit 7" – single (House Anxiety Records; as Zoo Kid)
• 2011: King Krule (True Panther)
• 2012: Rock Bottom/Octopus 12" single (Rinse)
• 2023: Aqrxvst Is The Band’s Name (self-released; as Aqrxvst, with Pretty V and Jadasea)
• 2024: SHHHHHHH! (XL/Matador)

Live albums

• 2018: Live on the Moon (XL/True Panther Sounds/Matador)
• 2021: You Heat Me Up, You Cool Me Down (XL/True Panther Sounds/Matador)

Other

• 2014: City Rivims Mk 1 (self-released; w/ Sub Luna City)

Guest appearances

::data[format=table title="Guest appearances, showing year released and album name"]

Title	Year	Artist(s)	Album	"You Took Your Time"	"Meter, Pale, Tone"	"So Sick Stories"	"Stackin' Skins"	"Blue Train Lines"	"Turtle Neck Man"	"Seahorse"	"Empty and Silent"	"Boxing"
2013	Mount Kimbie	Cold Spring Fault Less Youth
2014	Ratking	So It Goes
Trash Talk, Wiki	No Peace
2017	Mount Kimbie	Love What Survives
2018	**
2021	Horsey	Debonair
2024	Mount Kimbie	The Sunset Violent
::

Awards and nominations

::data[format=table]

Year	Organisation	Award	Work	Result
2012	BBC Sound of 2013	Sound of 2013
2017	IMPALA	European Independent Album of the Year	The Ooz
2018	Hyundai	Mercury Prize
::

Notes

References

References

1. "6 Feet Beneath the Moon by King Krule".
2. "Archy Marshall: A New Place 2 Drown Album Review". Pitchfork.
3. "The Ooz by King Krule". [[Metacritic]].
4. "Man Alive! by King Krule".
5. "Out Today: King Krule - 'Space Heavy'". Matador Records.
6. Fitzpatrick, Rob. (2013-08-24). "King Krule: 'Basically, I hated everyone'". The Guardian.
7. (2017-10-12). "King Krule Through His Fractured World". 52 Insights.
8. "The influences that feed South London producer Jerkcurb’s output".
9. "'We Make Stuff Every Day': King Krule's Archy Marshall on His New Multi-Media Album". NPR.
10. (9 October 2013). "OTW #531: Jamie Isaac".
11. "From Zoo Kid to King Krule: A Discography Journey". vinyl.com.
12. (7 September 2011). "Timely – King Krule". The New York Times.
13. "King Krule: King Krule EP Album Review". Pitchfork.
14. (9 December 2012). "Sound of 2013 Profiles: King Krule". BBC.
15. (24 November 2015). "What You Need To Know About King Krule's New Project". The Fader.
16. (26 February 2004). "Brooklyn based Music Blog: Album Review : King Krule – 6 Feet Beneath the Moon (Blue Wave)". Still in Rock.
17. (29 October 2013). "Watch King Krule Play "Easy Easy" on "Letterman" | News".
18. "King Krule "A Lizard State" 11/04/13 @".
19. (8 January 2014). "Watch The Video for a Lizard State". King Krule.
20. (11 February 2014). "King Krule: God Save The King". The FADER.
21. "593849 – 10 Things You Didn't Know About King Krule". PigeonsandPlanes.
22. (2017-04-20). "Archy Marshall debuts two new songs on Mount Kimbie's radio show – listen". Consequence of Sound.
23. "the-ooz {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company".
24. (13 December 2017). "The 20 Best Rock Albums of 2017". [[Pitchfork (website).
25. (12 December 2017). "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". [[Pitchfork (website).
26. (6 March 2018). "22 acts in the running for best European independent album".
27. (8 March 2018). "Uh, Here's a Video of King Krule Performing Live on THE MOON". Vice.
28. "Hear King Krule's surprisingly reassuring new single "Alone, Omen 3"".
29. (2020-02-18). "King Krule Shares New Song "Cellular": Listen". Pitchfork.
30. (2020-01-14). "King Krule Announces New Album Man Alive!, Shares Video: Watch". Pitchfork.
31. Hussey, Allison. (25 August 2021). "King Krule Announces New Live Album ''You Heat Me Up, You Cool Me Down''".
32. (24 April 2023). "King Krule's "Seaforth Is an Emotionally Intimate Exploration of the 'Space Between'". Atwood Magazine.
33. Minsker, Evan. (13 April 2023). "King Krule Announces ''Space Heavy'', Shares Video for New Song ''Seaforth'': Watch".
34. Monroe, Jazz. (20 June 2024). "King Krule Releases New EP, Shares Video: Watch".
35. Morocco, AJ. (7 September 2013). "King Krule – 6 Feet Beneath The Moon".
36. Brown, August. (19 December 2013). "Review: King Krule's spooky, angry musings at the Fonda". [[Los Angeles Times]].
37. Lymangrover, Jason. "6 Feet Beneath the Moon". [[AllMusic]].
38. Kitty Empire. (17 August 2013). "King Krule: 6 Feet Beneath the Moon – review". The Guardian.
39. (28 February 2011). "New Music – Zoo Kid".
40. (28 February 2011). "HA0004 – Zoo Kid "Out Getting Ribs"/"Has This Hit" 7"". House Anxiety Records.
41. NardwuarServiette. (17 December 2013). "Nardwuar vs. King Krule".
42. (24 August 2013). "King Krule: 'Basically, I hated everyone'". The Guardian.
43. (14 October 2013). "King Krule".
44. "King Krule – a different man".
45. "WePresent:It's like a road movie. It's like a weird, Easy Rider kind of thing going on".
46. "King Krule discography". [[Official Charts Company]].
47. "King Krule discography". Hung Medien.
48. "King Krule discography". Hung Medien.
49. "Discographie von King Krule". GfK Entertainment.
50. "King Krule discography". Hung Medien.
51. "King Krule Chart History: ''Billboard'' 200".
52. "Video: King Krule indtager London i jakkesæt". Soundvenue A/S.
53. Kelly, Tyler Damara. (13 April 2023). "King Krule announces new album ''Space Heavy'' and releases 'Seaforth'".
54. "Top Albums (Week 24, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
55. "King Krule Chart History: Top Album Sales".
56. (2014-01-13). "Listen to an 11-Song Mixtape from Sub Luna City, a new Project Featuring King Krule". Noisey.
57. (26 July 2018). "Mercury prize 2018: Noel Gallagher, Florence and Arctic Monkeys shortlisted". [[The Guardian]].
58. (13 September 2013). "From Zoo Kid to Heartthrob: King Krule on His Debut Album, '6 Feet Beneath the Moon'". [[The New York Times]].

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