Just when you think you know how a Crystal Castles song is going to play out, they go and hammer out a barrage of guitar chords. "Fleece," the latest song lifted from the duo's forthcoming album, Amnesty (I), is sinister. Like most of Crystal Castles' music, it sounds like something you shouldn't be listening to. That's not a detrimental thing, though. It's helped them amass a cult-like following, one that's currently grappling with the introduction of vocalist Edith Frances, who replaced Alice Glass.
"I love your ambiguity," Frances sings through distorted effects, conniving in her delivery. It's one of the more melodic previews we've gotten of the album, but the onslaught of grinding rave synths keeps this track down on the ground, where listeners aren't free to float around at their leisure. The aggression is palpable here. And for what it's worth, a solid sign of exciting things to come.
Amnesty (I) drops August 19 via Fiction Records.
