Tracks: Alice Glass, The Horrors, Daughter and more

11th August 2017

Happy Friday, dear readers! Three years after leavingCrystal Castles and two since releasing her last single ‘Stillbirth’, this weeksaw the return of one Alice Glass. Was it worth the wait? Yes, yes it was. Thenew cut is one that sees her in a bit of a poppy sphere but one that’s stillwashed in dark lyrics. The Horrors also gave another glimpse into their upcomingnew album ‘V’, with its epic closer (and when we say epic, we definitely meanepic).

Elsewhere, Daughter introduced us to their new soundtrackfor the video game prequel/ sequel ‘Life Is Strange: Before The Storm’ with adramatic yet thoughtful cut, and at the other end of the musical spectrumproducer Iglooghost gave us a slice of totally bonkers, upbeat electro-fusion.Last but definitely not least, South Africans Diamond Thug returned to soarinto the cosmos while also keeping their feet firmly planted on the ground.

And if you’re itching to check out everything else out thisweek, step this way for DIY’s ListeningHub, and our EssentialPlaylist.

Alice Glass – Without Love

When Crystal Castles first announced its acrimonioussplit from founding member and band figurehead Alice Glass, public opinionlargely focused around the future of the abrasive noise outfit rather than thesinger herself. Without their feral flag bearer, would Crystal Castles beanything more than one angry man with a sampler, trying desperately to relivethe Skins-affiliated glory years? Alice, in all her mad-eyed, iconicbrilliance, you sensed would be fine.

Of course, in reality, it was actually Ethan Kath (he ofangry sampler fame) who wrote the bulk of CC’s wares (musically, at least). Andso he roped in a new front woman and carried on merrily while Alice fell intothe background. Until this point, in the three years since their split, Alicehas only released one song.

Now, however, she’s back with second single ‘Without Love’ -and it’s a surprisingly self-lacerating offering from the former firebrand. “AmI worth it or am I worthless?/ And will I ever figure it out?”,” begins thesinger in the kind of breathy, ethereal style that’s unrecognisable from ‘AlicePractice’, way back when. Written alongside HEALTH’s Jupiter Keyes, it’smusically like Crystal Castles pushed through an introspective Evanescencefilter (make of that what you will), but it’s clearly in the lyrics that Alicehas poured her focus.

Filled with images of suppression and discomfort (“Is ithidden beneath the surface?/ Sew my lips so it won’t come out… Can I suffer? Iwon’t make a sound”), it wouldn’t take a psychologist to link the track’smorbid musings to the singer’s previous statements on the depressive, “deeplymiserable” break up of her former band. And, as a document of a dark time, itsucceeds reasonably well. Whether Alice can come out the other side and beginagain properly, however, still remains to be seen. (Lisa Wright)

The Horrors – Something To Remember Me By

TheHorrors have always been danceable, whether it’s the bright, shiny synthsof ‘Who Can Say’ or the grit of ‘Endless Blue’, the five-piece have always beenable to make a crowd move. It’s not until now, though, that they’ve fullyembraced groove. ‘Something To Remember Me By’, the closing track from theband’s upcoming fifth album ‘V’, settles into a rhythm early and doesn’t flinchfor the next seven minutes.

Embracing the euphoric, propulsive synth-pop of New Order,Faris Badwan’s howl is replaced with a calm but probing whisper, one thatproves to be equally affecting. The polar opposite to the band’s muddy, chaoticfirst single ‘Machine’, the new cut feels like the perfect album closer, andleaves the form and shape of what comes in between across ‘V’ an enticingprospect. A highlight of the band’s recent Latitude set, ‘Something To RememberMe By’ also looks to already be a highlight of their discography.

There’s a moment - exactly as the track hits thefour-and-a-half-minute mark - the kind of moment to send blood coursing andincite an unstoppable sense of euphoria. Sending the track, and new album ‘V’,off into a simply wonderful finish, it’s maybe the best thing The Horrors haveever written. (Will Richards)

Daughter – Burn It Down

If you had to pick a band to soundtrack the prequel to theBAFTA Award-winning graphic adventure game ‘Life Is Strange’, then Daughterseem like a pretty good choice. They’ve always had a knack for handling some ofthe harshest of subject matters with sensitivity and beauty, and it’s thatdelicate balance that seems to fit perfectly with the mix of chaos andnormality that surrounds the narrative of ‘Life Is Strange’.

Those connecting threads run even deeper considering thatthe prequel, ‘Before The Storm’, is set to tackle issues such as bullying,suicide and teenage pregnancy as well as friendship and love. Elena Tonrarevealed that it was this realism that helped them say yes to the project: “Weloved the story on first read as it centres around realistic female leadcharacters who are emotional, intelligent, sensitive and badass in equalmeasure”. But what’s even more striking about Daughter’s first taste of thesoundtrack though, is that it doesn’t just attest to the difficulties in theprotagonist’s life, but even gives a little nod to the core gameplay itself.

Across sweeping, dramatic strings, swirling guitar chordsand snapping beats, on ‘Burn It Down’ Elena sings from the perspective of oneof the characters, pondering setting fire to everything and musing on the ideaof being a “good kid”. But having a voice is also an important factor here,Elena singing “always thought I had a way with words/ Never thought I could bespeechless”. It’s a significant part of the chorus, and while it paints apicture of a character stripped of agency, it also hints at the concept of“backtalk”, which is set to either help or hinder main character Chloethroughout the game.

In that sense, ‘Burn It Down’ is pretty much the perfect wayto introduce a video game soundtrack. It weaves an intriguing narrative, thefinal repetition of “burn it down” being truly intense. It straddles the linebetween the virtual universe it was born from and some incredibly real issues,making for dramatic, engaging listening. No doubt there’ll be a few peopleputting down the controller just to take this one in (Eugenie Johnson)

Iglooghost – Bug Thief

Two years ago, producer Iglooghost emerged on Flying Lotus’Brainfeeder imprint as a teenager with his EP ‘Chinese Nü Year’. Across fourtracks, he documented the time-travelling adventures of a gelatinousworm-shaped creature called Xiangjiao. Sound bizarre? Well, Iglooghost hasn’ttoned down the levels of conceptual weirdness for their upcoming debut album.‘Neō Wax Bloom’ is due out on 29th September, and promises to expand on hisworld by following the events surrounding two giant eyeballs crashing into themysterious world of Mamu.

As Iglooghost puts it: “A life cycle of transformingcreatures is thrown off balance, and the odd looking inhabitants of Mamu areforced to adapt to this calamity. These inhabitants include Yomi - amulticoloured pom-pom monk; Lummo - a wise blind witch training a band of meloncoloured babies; and Uso - a sneaky bug thief hidden in a green cloak - as wellas many others”. For a first taster of what to expect from the LP, he’sintroducing us to ‘Bug Thief’ Uso. And yeah, it’s just as batshit crazy asyou’d expect.

Though things kick off relatively calmly, ‘Bug Thief’ soondescends into a cacophony of swirling synths, stabbing beats and shimmeringmelodies that wrap around each other like a video game soundtrack from the 90sput through a hyperdub spin-cycle and given some acid for good measure. There’sflickers of FlyLo’s most genre-bending, quick-fire moments embedded within thereverberating chaos, but through a combination of hyperactive sounds and warpedvocals, he creates something that’s all his own. If Uso the bug thief wentabout his business in such a raucous way then he’d be put in jail in a flash.Luckily the only thing Iglooghost is likely to steal here is your heart. Andprobably your brain too. (Eugenie Johnson)

Diamond Thug – Cosmic Dreamer

On their last track ‘Eclipse’,South Africans Diamond Thug introduced the world to their quest to find anauthentic, honest sound. Until that point, the band had travelled fromoff-kilter electro-pop to psych-rock and just about everywhere you could thinkof in-between. You could say it was the product of a musical constellationcoming together with a glistening sheen and more than a bit of sparkle.

According to the band, their latest offering ‘CosmicDreamer’ “speaks to the expedition of a traveler yearning to drift out of thespace they occupy”. It sounds like they’re off on another adventure to breaktheir own boundaries again. And yep, that’s pretty much what they do. It’s atrack that draws together vocalist Chantel’s honeyed vocals with waves ofintergalactic electronics. But while it mostly drifts off into the ether,transcending the boundaries of the stratosphere and flying off into anotherrealm, it also keeps one foot firmly planted on Planet Earth. A driving guitarriff and blasts of drums just pushed a little into the background give thetrack an earthy edge that stops it becoming too flighty, giving it somethingtangible to hold on to even in the vast cosmos. The stars have truly alignedonce again for Diamond Thug. (EugenieJohnson)

Tags:Alice Glass, The Horrors, Daughter, Listen, Features

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