When I said I was off to a preview responses ranged from “it’s just noise…they start song by just mashing a keyboard” to a defensive “Well I like them”. The first reaction didn’t come from an old lady and the second didn’t come from a painfully cool Shoreditch type. Crystal castles are just pretty divisive.

This is increased by the difference between their live performances and their albums. When you listen to them in your room, Ethan Kath is free to play around with Alice Glass’ voice as much as he likes making it mostly unintelligible, and using it as just another sound. Usually this is not done to the same extend live (on a related note they are playing live at Heaven on Tuesday – tickets available here)

The stand out track for me was Doe Deer; which is released by a limited 500 copy run on 17th April. This screechy track digitally shatters Alice’s voice over a fairly catchy repetitive beat and it’s something I could see myself dancing to. Have a listen:

When you delve deeper into the album though it’s less clear. There are some good moments, like like a 1980s style electronic march on Not In Love and a great hook on Intimate. The almost religious chanting on Violent Dreams is of note too; the church organ offering a bit of an electronic trip that is far from ordinary.

In the end though flashes like this were a little drowned out by minutes of bleeping sounds that don’t quite cut it and ultimately left me a bit bored of the album as a whole. During the last track a PR fella came into the studio as the track had started jumping. “It just goes on like that for another 60 seconds” he said – I could well believe him.

Picture courtesy of Chriszak