NEW ALBUM: ALICE GLASS | PREY//IV

Alice Glass, formerly one half of Crystal Castles, has been a solo artist for years now. Still, she’s only now releasing her first solo LP. Glass recorded her new LP "PREY//IV" in collaboration with the producer io Jupiter, and it gets heavily into matters of stress and trauma. (Years ago, Glass accused her former Crystal Castles partner Ethan Kath of rape and physical abuse; Kath denied the charges.) "PREY//IV" is a heavy record that still works as a moody, thumping work of club music. As much as "PREY//IV" is a triumph, its topics also inhabit a deeply uncomfortable headspace; the result is near inseparable from the trauma that inspired it and thus should come with a heavy trigger warning for listeners. Standout single "Suffer And Swallow" embodies the very evil Osborn endured briefly, with the artist weaponizing psychologically harsh tactics in its lyrics, flipping and aiming them back at her abuser. On the whole, "PREY//IV" expresses dance-when-you're-sad energy that Glass and Kath never quite achieved with Crystal Castles and that Kath and Glass stand-in Edith Frances have yet to capture since the enigmatic former frontwoman's departure. The combined influences of genre showcase an artist coming into her unified sound after years of toiling with an identity that could have been stripped from her had she not been as resilient as she shows herself to be on this debut. If nothing else, "PREY//IV" proves that society has moved past the need for Crystal Castles. Long may Alice Glass reign in their stead.