"Without Love" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter

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 ...

. It was written by Glass,

Lars Stalfors Lars Stalfors is an American record producer, writer and mixer based in Los Angeles. His most recent credits include Cold War Kids albums ''L.A. Divine'' (2017) and ''Hold My Home'' (2014) including the #1 alternative song "First". He has also w ...

and Jupiter Keyes, and produced by the latter two and Matt Rad. The song was released by

Loma Vista Recordings Loma Vista Recordings is a record label founded by Tom Whalley, former chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records and Executive of A&R at Interscope Records. The label was initially a joint venture with Republic Records and is based in Beverly Hi ...

on 10 August 2017, as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from Glass' self-titled debut EP.

Music video

The music video was directed by

Floria Sigismondi Floria Sigismondi (, born 1965) is an Italian-Canadian film director, screenwriter, music video director, artist, and photographer. She is best known for writing and directing '' The Runaways'', for directing music videos for performers includi ...

. It shows Glass being tied down and surrounded by flowers in various settings, including a nature-consumed room, an abandoned vintage car and an empty pool. When asked about the core message of the song, Sigismondi wrote in an email to ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'', "I like the idea of something beautiful and dark living simultaneously in the same place, 'Without Love' has those themes. There are also themes of losing yourself, being told how to be, what to say ('tell me what to spit'). The garden vines are a metaphor for this." She wrote that she was inspired for this video by the works of the ceramic artist

Jessica Cooper Jessica Cooper (born 1967) is a designer and painter, living in Cornwall, England. She is a Royal West of England Academician and a member of the Newlyn Society of Artists. Cooper was born in Bristol and grew up in Cornwall. During 1985 and 198 ...

Critical reception

'' Under the Radar'' described the song as "a slice of pop indulgence" and "a cleaner outing then her previous offering". Jack Tregoning of

Junkee Junkee is an Australian popular culture and news website run by new media company Junkee Media. It covers various topics including film, university, food, TV, politics, travel, career, health and Internet culture. Its target demographic is 18- to ...

wrote that the song "finds Glass in a glossier mood", and includes "spiky edges" and "a new electronic-pop sheen". Lisa Wright of ''

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

'' described the song as "a bleak and introspective return" and "a surprisingly self-lacerating offering" from Glass. Michael Cuby of ''

Paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...

'' called the song "an instantly recognizable blend of beauty and macabre that will make any former Crystal Castles fan stare in awe". Lauren O'Neill of ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

'' felt that Glass "delivered a

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her early work has been described as extending from "lo-fi R&B" to futuristic dance-pop, and has i ...

-esque sad synth number with a big pop-sensibility". Justin Moran of '' Out'' regarded the song as "a glittery dark-pop number that carries the same dramatic weight as Glass' work before". Sasha Geffen of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' wrote the song sees Glass "singing gently and calmly, with breathy accents that belong more to the world of synthpop artists like

Purity Ring Purity rings (also known as promise rings, abstinence rings, or chastity rings) are rings worn as a sign of chastity. Since the 1990s, in the United States, Christian organizations, especially Catholic and evangelical Christian groups, promoting ...

than her punk and

electroclash Electroclash (also known as synthcore, retro-electro, tech-pop, nouveau disco, and the new new wave) is a genre of music that fuses 1980s electro, new wave and synth-pop with 1990s techno, retro-style electropop and electronic dance music. It ...

past."

References

{{Authority control 2017 singles 2017 songs Alice Glass songs Loma Vista Recordings singles Music videos directed by Floria Sigismondi Pop ballads Songs written by Lars Stalfors