RIP CC

Alice leaves Crystal Castles

When I picture teenager me, Crystal Castles is playing in the background.

Did you know Alice left CC? Like a month ago? I didn’t see until now when I 'read' it in a Swedish magazine I picked up. I feel heartbroken. They still are my most listened to band on last FM, by a long way. I have so many different memories and experiences while in the presence of their sounds and have associate them with many different friends, because I listened to them for so many years. My memories of them are largely chronological, as I grew up and changed as a person with CC, similar to the way you reminisce about your child hood pet.

Listening to them for the first time on my friends PC—I can picture the room perfectly. While I knew instantly they were amazing (that raw garage sound of their very first ep) at that time I could not fathom the influence the Canadian band would have on my teen life—listening to them hours on end, pumping it up in the car as you drive feeling free and detached from any worry you have. When I picture teenager me, CC is playing in the background.

Every time I was at a party I would high jack the music and put them on. And people would say what the fuck is this shit. And we could only smile, and feel sorry for those who had not yet let Alice and Ethan into their hearts.

Seeing them live each time was a different experience and always a crazy one. As one comment sums up perfectly:

Incredibly mind blowing. What were the lyrics? I don't know, don't care. Crystal castles took my mind to another world, and I wanna stay there.

Seeing them live was an incredible experience, always resulting in a t-shirt drenched in sweat and the inability to comprehend what you were just a part of. The world you are returned to seems so foreign and unfamiliar and you want nothing but to return to the state of euphoria experienced in the middle of the crowd while Alice is crowd surfing over your head. 

Live highlights include dancing to them at the back of the crowd on crutches with a broken heal, Alice throwing everything off stage because the technicians at Parklife screwed up the audio, and of course one of the best highlights of my life – touching Alice’s boob as she crowd surfed.

It was nice reminiscing about the past while I listened to their entire Spotify catalogue - about 3 hours’ worth, after hearing the news.

I feel heart broken, but somehow in a positive way. Like when you end a relationship and realise it was the right thing to do. I love the genius of Ethan but as I have been listening to him grow for 10 or so years I think change will be a good thing for both partners.

I am looking forward to Alice’s solo music and what Ethan comes up with for the new CC.