"Plague" is a song by Canadian

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

band,

Crystal Castles Crystal Castles was a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, formed by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass, who later left and was replaced by Edith Frances. Crystal Castles were know ...

. 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 SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

page.

History

The song debuted at the band's live performance at Parklife Festival in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England, in June 2012. The band posted a Soundcloud link to the song on their Facebook page July 25, 2012, without providing any further information about the song or the next album. The release date of the album was eventually announced with the release of the next single, "Wrath of God", on June 6, 2012.

Critical reception

The song mostly received positive reviews. Jason Lipshutz of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine wrote: "Consisting of three movements between calm, ethereal verses and an assault of synthesizers and programmed drums on the refrain, "Plague" obscures Glass' lyrics as her voice tries to overpower an avalanche of noise." Tom Breihan of

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

called the song "their '' rystal Castles'' latest bit of bloodthirsty gothed-out dance music," while stating that "it will doubtless sound amazing the next time you see them in some dank cavern of a venue." Marc Hogan of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' magazine contrasted the song with the previous album, inferring that the band is interested in "strobe lights and strangulated screams, not synchronized lanterns or future- R&B lullabies." Jamie Fullerton of

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

noted "the ominous thump and nasty bass, plus eerie silences that act like post-apocalyptic drops", also further commenting that the band still sounds "dangerous, demented and utterly thrilling" with their new song. In his elaborative track review, Dean Lucas of

This Is Fake DIY ''DIY'' is a United Kingdom-based music publication, in print and online. Its free print edition is released monthly with a physical circulation of 40,000 in UK venues, clubs and shops. DIY Magazine ''DIY'' was launched in 2002 by then-editor ...

called the song an "almost a modern day interpretation of the '

O Fortuna "O Fortuna" is a medieval Latin Goliardic poem which is part of the collection known as the ''Carmina Burana'', written early in the 13th century. It is a complaint about Fortuna, the inexorable fate that rules both gods and mortals in Roman an ...

' movement of

Carl Orff Carl Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, best known for his cantata ''Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Schulwerk were influential for children's music education. Life Early life Car ...

's '

Carmina Burana ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreverent ...

' as the drama builds thanks to an ominous-sounding beginning to a frighteningly huge catharsis." He also described Alice Glass' vocals as "sounding like a threat of suicide thanks to her petulant psycho-brat charm," while writing that "quieter build-up to its gothic chorus drenched in black keys is both immediately oppressive and haunting." To conclude his assessment of the song, he stated that "the song feels different to their previous efforts, as by their own standards, it's much more of a slow burner."

Music video

The music video was released on September 24, 2012. It was originally directed as a fan-made video by Ivan Grbin, before being released as an official music video. It features footage from

Andrzej Żuławski Andrzej Żuławski (; 22 November 1940 – 17 February 2016) was a Polish film director and writer. Żuławski often went against mainstream commercialism in his films, and enjoyed success mostly with European art-house audiences. In the late 1 ...

's 1981 horror film, ''

Possession Possession may refer to: Law * Dependent territory, an area of land over which another country exercises sovereignty, but which does not have the full right of participation in that country's governance * Drug possession, a crime * Ownership * ...

''.

Personnel

Ethan Kath Claudio Paolo Palmieri known professionally as Ethan Kath, is a co-founder and songwriter/producer for Crystal Castles and previously the bassist of Kïll Cheerleadër and Die Mannequin. ''Rolling Stone'' named Crystal Castles icons of 20 Years o ...

– production, mixing *

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. In 2014, she embarked on a solo career. She rel ...

– vocals * Alex Bonenfant – vocal engineering *

Brian Gardner Brian Knapp Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, is an American mastering engineer. He has worked on a number of recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk and dance- ...

– mastering *

Jacknife Lee Garret "Jacknife" Lee is an Irish music producer and mixer. He has worked with a variety of artists, including the Cars, U2, R.E.M., the Killers, Robbie Williams, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, Two Door Cinema Club, AFI, the Hives, Weezer, One Directi ...

– synthesizer * Lexxx – mixing

References

External links

* {{Crystal Castles 2012 singles 2012 songs Crystal Castles (band) songs Polydor Records singles Fiction Records singles Songs written by Ethan Kath