Alice Glass made headlines when she joined the Me Too! movement in 2017, claiming that she was sexually, physically, and mentally abused by Ethan Kath when the two worked together in the band Crystal Castles. Kath immediately denied the charges, calling the accusations “pure fiction.” Glass’ self-titled debut EP that year featured lyrics riddled with pain and hope.
A prolific writer, Glass released several singles in 2018, including “Cease and Desist”, “Mine,” and “I Trusted You.” Ultimately, she chose to pause on the individual releases and record her debut solo album. She wrote the songs for Prey//IV during the pandemic and released the album on February 16. The lyrics focussed noticeably on themes of domestic violence and abuse. Apparently, when Glass is aching, she dances. The strong rhythms on the album will bring listeners to their feet.
At Warsaw, the stage was bathed in dim red lights for her entire performance, such that most of her audience might never have seen her face clearly. Glass straddled pop music and electronic body music (EBM), performing songs from her eight-year career, including a few Crystal Castles songs. The music pulsed and throbbed, while her vocals rode lightly on waves of prerecorded electronic wash. She was accompanied solely by a bassist, whose musical contributions were largely swallowed by the prerecorded tracks. A series of images looped repeatedly on the screen behind the performers. Glass danced spontaneously throughout the set.
Who is the potential Alice Glass audience? That is a puzzle to be solved. The goths in the audience might have grooved to the electronic rhythms, but Glass’ high vocals sounded like bubble gum pop. While the music leaned harder and darker, Glass’ whisper-like vocals did not match that ambiance.
Today’s music industry is loaded with women singing sad songs. Glass’ somewhat unique spin is that the music behind her vocals in heavily electronic. Will the mainstream public groove to this or will she remain an underground siren? Here is hope that the uncommon match of her voice and her music might not be a mismatch.
