Almost three years have passed since the enigmatic Alice Glass left the beloved electropunk duo Crystal Castles on bad terms with Ethan Kath. After “Stillbirth,” the single she released a couple months after the split, not much news came regarding her music, much to the impatience of her leagues of fans.
Finally, Glass has returned with a mesmerizing new single titled “Without Love,” along with a stunning music video as well, directed by Floria Sigismondi. The single sounds exactly like what fans expected it would, equal parts frightening, pop-influenced, and lyrically dense.
The track opens with a detuned synth and bass part that sets a forbidding atmosphere for the rest of the song, and soon follows up with some trap-influenced high-hats. Alice’s sweet yet ominous voice colors the dark track with lines that hit hard with the instrumental.
Glass had also talked briefly about her upcoming debut record in an interview with Thump, saying that “I knew how I wanted things to sound early on, sinister and sweet, but it’s evolved now,” and that the most surprising part of it would probably be “that you can hear my voice clearly.”
Her voice, although sort of whispery at times, is clear and up front in “Without Love.” And “sinister and sweet” is a perfect description for what makes this song both intriguing and unsettling. The song pulls you in with deceptively catchy melodies that juxtapose dark harmonies and lyrics, and creates an overall interesting soundscape that’s hard to step away from.
In support of potential future releases, Glass has confirmed select, very special headline dates this fall, and will join Marilyn Manson as direct support on his North American tour.
Glass’ own dates kick off September 14 with an intimate, celebratory show at Los Angeles’ The Echo, followed by additional dates throughout the fall including Philadelphia’s Underground Arts, The Growlers Festival and more.
Check out the new music video as well as the tour dates below.
Alice Glass Live
09/14: Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
09/26: Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
09/27: Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring ^
09/29: Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE ^
09/30: New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom ^
10/02: Boston, MA – House of Blues ^
10/03: Huntington, NY – The Paramount ^
10/05: Toronto, ON – Rebel ^
10/06: Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
10/08: Columbus, OH – Express Live! ^
10/10: Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre ^
10/11: Milwaukee, WI – The Rave ^
10/15: Houston, TX – HOB Peacock Lounge
10/17: Tulsa, OK – Brady Theater ^
10/19: Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium ^
10/20: Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex ^
10/22: Portland, OR – Star Theater
10/23: Oakland, CA – Fox Theater ^
10/24: San Diego, CA – The Observatory
10/27: Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues ^
10/28: Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues ^
10/29: San Pedro, CA – The Growlers Six
10/30: Anaheim, CA – House of Blues Parish
^ with Marilyn Manson
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