Sebastian Krueger likes to jump off of cliffs — figuratively speaking.
A few months ago, the Williamsburg musician abandoned the security of his day job to devote himself full-time to his craft.
“Part of my problem was, I was too afraid for a number of years to do music seriously. There’s only so old you want to be if you’re sleeping on friend’s floors,” said Krueger, who turns 28 next month. “I suppose this was the most dramatic way to light a fire under my butt.”
For fans of Krueger’s layered indie folk, he could have used that fire sooner. It’s been four years since his first offering, the EP “The Vestibule.” This month, the musician, who records under the name Inlets, celebrates the release of his first full album, “Inter Arbiter,” an extension of his mildly classical, multi-instrumental sound.
That poses another challenge for the musician — playing the damn thing live.
“For a long time, it’s been a process of reduction,” said Krueger, who celebrates the release of the album on April 23 at Union Hall in Park Slope. “It’s impossible to rehearse and perform all of those layers for a ton of different reasons. It’s always been a process of what can be whittled back and still retain the feeling of the song, and not be beholden to what was on the record.”
While Krueger did the majority of the work on the album, recording it in his bedroom, he did have some help from friends including Beirut frontman Zach Condon and Dirty Projector’s vocalist Angel Deradoorian, as well as cellist Maria Jeffers and violist Marla Hansen of the string quartet Osso.
The lineup for the live show is in flux.
And after that, the road. Krueger says he’ll be touring like mad this summer, especially since he no longer has a cubicle with his name on it.
“I’ve started to get excited about it,” said Krueger, who battles stage fright. “I don’t feel like a natural performer. I feel like I’m more of an ideas person than a performer, but it’s another cliff. I keep inventing them and jumping off of them.”
Inlets at Union Hall [702 Union St. near Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, (718) 638-4400], April 23 at 8 pm. Tickets $10. For info, visit www.unionhallny.com.
