THE BAND: Anarchic, uncompromising and at times overtly abrasive, Crystal Castles emerged seemingly from out of nowhere in the mid 2000s: obliterating the ear-drums of their throngs of fans with one of the most original sounds of the decade. Becoming steadily more melancholic and sedate over the course of three well recieved albums, the world was awe-struck by the news that vocalist Alice Glass had made plans to depart from the band; leaving producer Ethan Kath to fend for himself. Undeterred by his bandmate’s departure, he has released ‘Frail’, ushering in a new phase of sonic exploration.
THE SOUND: Beginning with a cacophony of heart rending screams from a vocalist listed only as ‘Edith’; a murky synth soon comes to the forefront exuding the decadence of 90’s rave whilst remaining firmly within the hauntingly beautiful territory in which the group always flourished. Frantic, unhinged and volatile in the same manner as tracks such as ‘Baptism’ and ‘Empathy’, it demonstrates that Kath is still more than capable of crafting incredible music without the aid of his enigmatic companion.
THE LOWDOWN: Posted from out of the blue onto the band’s soundcloud, the track was initially accompanied by a tangent from Kath reaffirming his role within the group, stating: “I wish my former vocalist the best of luck in her future endeavours. I think it can be empowering for her to be in charge of her own project. It should be rewarding for her considering she didn’t appear on Crystal Castles’ best known songs. (she’s not on Untrust Us. Not In Love, Vanished, Crimewave, Vietnam, Magic Spells, Knights, Air War, Leni, Lovers Who Uncover, Violent Youth, Reckless, Year of Silence, Intimate, 1991, Good Time, Violent Dreams etc.) People often gave her credit for my lyrics and that was fine, i didn’t care.” However, Kath has now replaced the initial message with the less confrontational “I wish my former vocalist the best of luck in her future endeavours. i think it can be empowering for her to be in charge of her own project. <3”
