Alice Glass | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Margaret Osborn |
Also known as | Vicki Vale |
Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 25 August 1988
Genres | |
Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels |
|
Formerly of | Crystal Castles |
Website | alice-glass |
Margaret Osborn (born 25 August 1988), known professionally as Alice Glass, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is the co-founder and former frontwoman of the electronic band Crystal Castles. [2] In 2014, she embarked on a solo career. [3] She released her eponymous debut EP in 2017. Her solo debut album, Prey//IV, was released in February 2022.
Alice Glass was born Margaret Osborn on 25 August 1988 in Toronto, Ontario. [4] She was raised Catholic, attending parochial school up until junior high. [5] At age 15, she ran away from home to live in a squat community of punks under the name Vicki Vale (after the comic book character) and started an all-girl experimental punk band called Fetus Fatale. [6] In December 2003, she and Ethan Kath began working together on the project that would become Crystal Castles. [7] She picked the stage name Alice Glass based on a pin with the name Alice that she shoplifted and Hopey Glass, a character in Love and Rockets . [8]
Crystal Castles' first official release was their 2006 single "Alice Practice". [9] The song got the band their first record deal with Merok Records in London. [7] The same year, Crystal Castles played their first live show at Clinton's Tavern in Toronto. [10] "Alice Practice" was eventually featured on their eponymous debut album released in 2008. Glass topped NME's Cool List that year and responded to it by criticizing the idea of the cool list itself. [11] The duo followed their debut album with two more critically acclaimed albums, II (2010) and III (2012), completing a trilogy. Glass co-wrote every Crystal Castles song she contributed vocals to. [12] In October 2014, Glass announced her departure from Crystal Castles due to her own professional and personal reasons. In the announcement, she noted that working within the band compromised her efforts towards "sincerity, honesty, and empathy for others". [13] She later had a number of public disagreements with her former bandmate, including accusing him of assault and sexual misconduct. [14]
In July 2015, Glass released her debut single as a solo artist, "Stillbirth". [15] The release was largely an effort to increase awareness of domestic and sexual abuse. Glass worked with anti-sexual assault organization RAINN to donate all proceeds from the song's revenue to aid abuse victims. [16]
In August 2017, Glass released "Without Love", which served as the lead single to her eponymous debut EP which was released the following week. She headed on tour with Marilyn Manson following the release of the EP. [17]
In October 2017, Glass posted a statement on her official website explaining her departure from Crystal Castles, accusing co-founder Ethan Kath of sexual, physical, and mental abuse. The accusations detail the abuse starting when Glass was 15 and began recording with Kath and escalated until her eventual departure from Crystal Castles. [18] Kath responded the same day in a statement issued to Pitchfork through his attorney, where he called the accusations "pure fiction" and said he was consulting with his lawyers as to his legal options. [19] The following month, Kath sued Glass for defamation, but was dismissed in February 2018. [20] In May, Glass was awarded nearly US$21,000 in attorney fees after Kath's lawyers sought to vacate the dismissal of his defamation lawsuit against Glass. [21]
In January 2018, Glass released "Forgiveness" as the second single from her EP. She also released that month a brand new single called "Cease and Desist", which she said "is a call to arms for all survivors." Both singles were accompanied by music videos. [22]
In April 2018, Glass embarked on her SnowBlood Tour alongside American singer Zola Jesus, with electronic musician Pictureplane being an opening act on select dates. The tour is named after Lady Snowblood, spurned star of the eponymous 1973 Japanese film. Later that month, Glass released a remix EP, consisting of remixes of songs from her eponymous EP released in 2017. The EP includes remixes from both Zola Jesus and Pictureplane. [23]
In June 2018, Glass released a new single, "Mine", accompanied by a music video directed by Lucas David and starring American drag queen Violet Chachki. [24] In December, Glass was featured on Adult Swim's singles series with a new song titled "I Trusted You". [25]
In 2020, Glass revealed that she does not receive appropriate royalties from her work in Crystal Castles. She disavowed her tenure in the band and asked fans to cease their support of the group. [26]
Glass released the single "Suffer and Swallow" on 6 January 2021, which was the first song she shared from her long-awaited solo debut album which she said was to be released later that year. The song was accompanied by a stop-motion music video by Lucas David. [27] She had a guest appearance on Alice Longyu Gao's single "Legend" which was released on 27 May 2021. [28]
On 19 November 2021, Glass unveiled the title and shared the track listing of her solo debut album Prey//IV and announced a release date of 28 January 2022 by her own Eating Glass Records. The announcement was accompanied the single "Baby Teeth", which had by a music video by Astra Zero and Lucas David. [29]
On 8 December 2021, Glass premiered the single "Fair Game" accompanied by a music video directed by Bryan M. Ferguson [30]
On 28 January 2022, Glass released "Love Is Violence", after the album's release was delayed to February. The single was accompanied by a gory music video by Bryan M. Ferguson. The early 2000s-inspired video depicts two teenagers who sensually pull out each other's entrails. [31]
Upon the album's release on the 16 February 2022, Glass premiered a music video for "Everybody Else" directed by Astra Zero. [32]
On 21 September 2022, Glass released a new single, "Lips Apart". [33]
On 18 April 2024, Glass released a cover of the Smashing Pumpkins song "Drown," produced by Jupiter Keyes. [34]
On 21 June 2024, Glass released a new single, "Remains", featuring New York-based musician CLIP. The same day, a visualizer was also released on Glass's YouTube channel. [35] [36]
Title | Album details |
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Prey//IV |
|
Title | Extended play details |
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Alice Glass |
|
Title | Extended play details |
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Alice Glass (Remixes) |
|
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Stillbirth" | 2015 | |
"Without Love" | 2017 | Alice Glass |
"Forgiveness" | 2018 | |
"Cease and Desist" | Non-album singles | |
"Mine" | ||
"Suffer and Swallow" | 2021 | Prey//IV |
"Baby Teeth" | ||
"Fair Game" | ||
"Love Is Violence" | 2022 | |
"Lips Apart" [39] | Non-album single | |
"Drown" [40] | 2024 | |
"Remains" (with CLIP) |
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Youth Problem" [41] | 2018 | Dreamcrusher | Grudge2 |
"Dark Alley" [42] | Lil Zubin, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal | Heavy Down Pour | |
"I Trusted You" [43] | — | Adult Swim x Fever Dreams | |
"Eat Me Alive Interlude" [44] | 2019 | Nedarb | Amity |
"Sleep It Off" | 2020 | — | The Turning (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
"Nightmares" | Sermon 4 Anniversary | ||
"Rajadão" (Remix) | Pabllo Vittar | 111 (Deluxe) | |
"Legend" | 2021 | Alice Longyu Gao | Non-album single |
"Iron Fist" (Remix) | Dorian Electra, Faris Badwan | My Agenda (Deluxe) | |
"Chastity" [45] | 2023 | Pussy Riot, Boys Noize | Non-album single |
"Not Enough" | Rezz | It's Not a Phase |
Year | Title | Director(s) |
---|---|---|
2017 | "Without Love" | Floria Sigismondi [46] |
2018 | "Forgiveness" | Lindsey Nico Mann [47] |
"Cease and Desist" | Lindsey Nico Mann, Dan Streit [48] | |
"Mine" | Lucas David [49] | |
"I Trusted You" | Lindsey Nico Mann | |
2020 | "Sleep It Off" | |
"Nightmares" | Lucas David | |
2021 | "Suffer and Swallow" | |
"Legend" | Olivia Aquilina | |
"Baby Teeth" | Astra Zero and Lucas David | |
"Fair Game" | Bryan M. Ferguson | |
2022 | "Love Is Violence" | |
"Everybody Else" | Astra Zero | |
Crystal Castles was a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass. Crystal Castles was known for their chaotic live shows and lo-fi melancholic homemade productions. They released many limited vinyl singles between 2006 and 2007 before releasing four studio albums between 2008 and 2016.
Alice Practice is the debut extended play (EP) by the Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles. It was released on July 9, 2006, through Merok Records. The release was limited to 500 copies on 7" vinyl and sold out in three days.
Crystal Castles is the debut studio album by Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles; at the time of its release, the group consisted of producer Ethan Kath and singer Alice Glass. The two met each other in 2004 and both had an interest in noise acts like AIDS Wolf & The Sick Lipstick. This inspired the two to start a noise music project, but instead of guitars, they would use electronic sounds made with a circuit-bent Atari 5200–which effectively led to the media pigeonholing the act as chiptune, despite the fact that the members themselves didn't deliberately intend this.
Claudio Paolo Palmieri, known professionally as Ethan Kath, is a Canadian musician. He was the co-founder and songwriter/producer for Crystal Castles and bassist of Kïll Cheerleadër and Die Mannequin.
"Crimewave" is a song performed by Canadian experimental band Crystal Castles and American noise rock band Health from Crystal Castles' self-titled debut album. The song acts as both Crystal Castles and Health's debut singles in addition to being the first single from the album Crystal Castles. It was first released on August 13, 2007 by Trouble Records, accompanied by the B-side "XxzxcuZx Me". The song is a re-working of the Health original track of the same name written by the band members of Health for their eponymous debut album. It was re-written by Ethan Kath of Crystal Castles. Kath also produced the re-worked track. The song contains prominent electro and chiptune musical characteristics.
Crystal Castles is the second studio album by the Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles, released on May 24, 2010, by Fiction Records and Last Gang Records. The album was initially scheduled for release on June 7, 2010; however, the release dates were moved forward after the album leaked online, thus a digital version of the album was released on April 23, 2010.
"Air War" is a single by Crystal Castles. It was released on 17 December 2007 by Trouble Records as a 7" vinyl. An earlier version of the song was released in July 2006 as the B-Side to "Alice Practice" on Merok Records. The lyrics are from the 1922 James Joyce novel Ulysses in Chapter 11: Sirens. The cover art gathered public interest because of the odd picture of Ethan Kath and Alice Glass with ice cream cones as heads.
"Celestica" is a song recorded by the Canadian electronic band Crystal Castles for their second studio album, Crystal Castles (2010). After a BBC Radio 1 premiere, it was released on April 16, 2010, as the first single from the album, being later accompanied by a music video. According to member Ethan Kath, the track was inspired by a suicide at the Celestica factories in Canada. Critics cited the song as a shift from Crystal Castles' usual sound, presenting a pop sound and resembling shoegaze. Others highlighted its melody and member Alice Glass' vocals. It was considered one of the best songs of the year by NME, while Pitchfork named it as one of the best tracks between 2010 and 2014 and among the best Crystal Castles songs.
III (stylized as (III)) is the third studio album by Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles, released on November 7, 2012, by Fiction Records and Polydor Records. Production was handled by Ethan Kath, with additional production by Jacknife Lee.
"Plague" is a song recorded by the Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles. It is the first single of the band's 2012 album, (III). On June 9, 2012, it was made available for free download on the duo's SoundCloud page.
Tahliah Debrett Barnett, known professionally as FKA Twigs, is an English singer, songwriter, and dancer. She was a backup dancer for numerous musicians, and made her musical debut with EP1 (2012). Barnett's debut studio album, LP1 (2014), reached number 16 on the UK Albums Chart and number 30 on the US Billboard 200. It was nominated for that year's Mercury Prize. She then released the EP M3LL155X (2015).
"Not in Love" is the title of two covers by the Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles, both renditions of the 1983 song of the same name by the Canadian rock band Platinum Blonde. The first version appeared on the duo's second studio album, Crystal Castles (2010), while a second version featuring Robert Smith of the Cure was digitally released as a non-album single on October 26, 2010. Crystal Castles' Ethan Kath recorded his own vocals for their first version of "Not in Love"; following the Crystal Castles' release, Smith asked if he could remix a song on the album, ultimately resulting in the second version of "Not in Love".
Amnesty (I) (also titled Amnesty I and sometimes referred to as Amnesty) is the fourth and final studio album by Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles, released on August 19, 2016, by Fiction Records and Casablanca Records. It is their first album since the departure of previous frontwoman Alice Glass in 2014, and the first to feature new vocalist Edith Frances. It is also their first album not titled after their band name.
Alice Glass is the debut extended play (EP) by Canadian singer and songwriter Alice Glass, released on 18 August 2017 through Loma Vista Recordings. The EP marks Glass' first collection of solo material since her departure from electronic band Crystal Castles in 2014.
"Forgiveness" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alice Glass. It was written by Glass, Jupiter Keyes and Atticus Ross, with production handled by Keyes and Matt Rad. The song was released on 11 January 2018 as the second single from Glass' eponymous debut EP, Alice Glass (2017).
The discography of the Canadian electronic duo Crystal Castles consists of four studio albums, fourteen music videos, one extended play, seventeen singles, and ten remixes.
Harriette Pilbeam, known professionally as Hatchie, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. She has released an EP, Sugar & Spice (2018) and two studio albums: Keepsake (2019) and Giving the World Away (2022).
"Cease and Desist" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alice Glass, released on 23 January 2018 through Loma Vista. The song was written by Glass, Jupiter Keyes and Luwayne Glass, and produced by Keyes and Dreamcrusher.
"Stillbirth" is the debut solo single by Canadian singer-songwriter Alice Glass, released on 17 July 2015. It is Glass' first release since her departure from Crystal Castles in 2014.
Prey//IV is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alice Glass. It was released on 16 February 2022 by Eating Glass Records. It is her first collection of solo material since the release of her self-titled EP released five years prior. The album title and track listing were revealed on 19 November 2021. The release of the album was preceded by four singles, "Suffer and Swallow", "Baby Teeth", "Fair Game", and "Love Is Violence". To promote the album, Glass embarked on a 15-date tour of the United States, the Traumabond Tour, from the 7 September to 31 October, 2022.
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