Crystal Castles’ Ethan Kath Speaks Out on Alice Glass, "Frail", and the Future of the Band

Photo via Crystal Castles’ Facebook

When Crystal Castles released a new song called “Frail” last week, six months after the departure of frontwoman Alice Glass, it raised many questions: Has producer Ethan Kath recruited any new members? Whose voice is on the track? Why did Kath release a statement accompanying the track pointing out that “people often gave [Glass] credit for my lyrics and that was fine, I didn’t care,” only to quickly retract it? (Glass later took to Twitter to challenge Kath, saying “Manipulative statements about my contributions to the band only reinforce the decision I made to move on to other things.”) 

Pitchfork contacted Kath via email this week, asking all of these questions. He explained his side of the story, and gave us an update on the future of Crystal Castles. As for the voice of “Frail”, all Kath would say is that it’s “a girl named Edith.”

Read our interview below: 

Why did you delete the statement that originally accompanied “Frail”?

Kath: I was making a point that my vision for CC was continuing. When I realized it came off as shade, I pulled it because I have no desire to throw any shade, I really do wish her the best.

Why did you make that statement?

Kath: I meant no harm to her, I was referring to her recent statements in i-D magazine that she left the band so she can finally “be herself,” she was “living a lie” in CC and she was ready to “own her own darkness.” I didn’t belittle her or make any derogatory comments, I was acknowledging what she had already said herself. I wished her the best because despite everything, I’ll always love her and sincerely want her to do well and be happy. I encourage everyone to anticipate Alice’s solo music, I’m excited for it myself.

Do you feel that Alice calling her departure “the end of the band” was premature?

Kath: I was told she was taking a year off and that I should have the majority of the songs ready by her return. After her year off, she tweeted that she was leaving. There was no discussion about it.

Alice has tweeted, “for the record, i wrote almost all of the lyrics in
my former band and the vast majority of the vocal melodies,” which refutes what you had written. Do you have a response?

Kath: I was surprised by her statements because in that same i-d interview she
claims I was restricting her ability to express her own creative input, she couldn’t be herself, and that she needed to leave to find her own voice. Two months later she tweets that it was her voice. It can’t be both.

What is the status of Crystal Castles today? Who is the singer on “Frail”? Is Crystal Castles working on new material? 

Kath: “Frail” was recorded recently and released as a message that we are in studio writing and recording a new album. The vocals are not my pitched voice (as on “Violent Youth” or the album version of “Not in Love”). A girl named Edith is singing.

The band’s last album III came out in 2012. Read our 2012 interview with Crystal Castles and our list of the 10 best Crystal Castles songs.

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