As one half of Crystal Castles, Alice Glass has garnered much acclaim, but also picked up a variety of demons along the way in the form of abuse by former bandmate Ethan Kath. Though the horrid allegations were only brought up recently, Glass has, hearteningly, gotten into the business of exorcism through her own solo material.
Glass recently shared quite a jittery and jumpy music video for her song “Forgiveness,” which comes from the artist’s eponymous solo debut EP that made a splash last summer. Trashy, industrial, and fueled by a sinister undercurrent, the strobing visuals and Blair Witch inspired VHS styling of the Lindsey Mann directed music video perfectly encapsulates the EP’s sonic aesthetic.
The video’s center stage is taken by Glass herself, as she frantically performs in dark, dingy rooms and scrawls her lyrics across grimy bathroom mirrors. Those scenes are interspersed with footage of her playing live with her band, and being mostly submerged in a pool of water.
“We shot this at my house,” said Glass. “It was originally just going to be a lyrics video with me writing in lipstick on mirrors but then we drank too much tequila and filmed more fun stuff. Featuring my doggos if you can spot them.”
“I also want to speak to the meaning of the song,” she continues. “This song is about rejecting the idea of forgiveness. Forgiveness isn’t always a moral act, the way some religions portray it. Sometimes forgiveness can be exploitative or even predatory, especially when people use it as a means to guilt someone rather than heal them. When forgiveness is used to create a false sense of superiority it is a toxic act.”
Watch the video for “Forgiveness” below.
Photo Credit: Marv Watson