Toronto screamers Crystal Castles are back with a fun new record full of party rock anthems and catchy lil’ tunes about girls ‘n’ cars! Just kidding, it’s an album about oppression. Says Alice Glass, “Oppression is a theme, in general… A lot of bad things have happened to people close to me since II and it’s profoundly influenced my writing as I’ve realized there will never be justice for them. I didn’t think I could lose faith in humanity any more than I already had, but after witnessing some things, it feels like the world is a dystopia where victims don’t get justice and corruption prevails.” Heavy stuff, but then, it’s been a heavy decade. The album cover art features Samuel Aranda’s award-winning photograph of Yemeni mother Fatima al-Qaws cradling her son Zayed, who’s suffering from the effects of tear gas after a street protest.
The new album, appropriately entitled (III) is the first to be produced entirely by Crystal Castles’ Ethan Kath, and was recorded in Berlin and Warsaw. The duo were like “sorry synths and keyboards” and enacted a “no computers” rule this time around. Everything on (III) was recorded straight onto tape, in one take to get that raw “one take” energy. The new album drops November 6 in the US, and the band is planning a cross-Canadian/American jaunt to introduce the new tracks to fans. In the meantime, here’s a link to a website devoted entirely to pictures of cats in sinks. Don’t be sad, everybody. For every Yemeni protestor getting teargassed, there’s a kitten spooning a bigger cat in a OH GOD THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH KITTENS SPOONING BIGGER CATS :-( Also the band is touring with HEALTH and Kontravoid. Yay?
Dates:
09.27.12 - Charlotte, NC - Fillmore Charlotte *
09.28.12 - Atlanta, GA - Counterpoint Music Festival *
09.29.12 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
09.30.12 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
10.02.12 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory *
10.03.12 - New York, NY - Roseland *
10.06.12 - Boston, MA - House of Blues *
10.07.12 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis **
10.09.12 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre **
10.10.12 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall **
10.11.12 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Art Works **
10.13.12 - Austin, TX - Emo’s East **
10.14.12 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits **
10.16.12 - Kansas City, MO - Liberty Theater **
10.17.12 - Denver, CO - Ogden **
10.18.12 - Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue **
10.20.12 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium **
10.21.12 - San Diego, CA - Soma **
10.22.12 - San Francisco, CA - Fox Theater **
10.24.12 - Portland, OR - Roseland **
10.25.12 - Seattle, WA- Showbox Sodo **
10.26.12 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore **
10.28.12 - Calgary, AB - Mac Ewan Hall **
10.29.12 - Edmonton, AB - Edmonton Events Centre **
10.31.12 - Winnipeg, MB - Garrick Center **
11.01.12 - Minneapolis, MN - First Ave **
11.02.12 - Chicago, IL - Congress Theater **
11.03.12 - Toronto, OH - Kool Haus **
* HEALTH
** HEALTH, Kontravoid
• Crystal Castles: http://crystalcastles.com
• Fiction: http://www.fictionrecords.co.uk
• Casablanca: http://www.casablanca-music.com
• Universal Republic: http://www.universalrepublic.com
More about: Crystal Castles
