They are named after the lyrics "The fate of the world is safe in Crystal Castles" and "Crystal Castles, the source of all power" both from the theme song for She-Ra's fortress. They are known for their melancholic lo-fi sound and their explosive live shows. Their debut album was included in NME's "Top 50 Albums of the Decade".
Initially the band was intended to be a solo project started by Ethan Kath in December 2003. Ethan later discovered Alice Glass singing in a noise-punk band, and thought he had found the "missing ingredient" to his music.
In 2004 Kath gave Alice 60 instrumental tracks and in April 2005 she recorded vocals over five instrumentals. The limited vinyl release of the band's first single Alice Practice sold out in only three days.
The track was a microphone test by Glass and she was not aware that the recording existed until London UK's Merok Records asked to release the track on vinyl, according to now ex-bandmate Kath. However, Glass declared over a decade later that this story was not true.
On the 18th March 2008 they released their debut album entitled Crystal Castles. This album reached #47 on UK Albums Chart, #6 on US Top Electronic Albums, #13 on US Top Heatseekers, and #32 on US Independent Albums. Crystal Castles received great reviews and ranked #39 on NME Magazine "Top 50 Albums of the Decade". They issued four singles: Alice Practice (1 June 2006), Crimewave (Crystal Castles vs HEALTH) (13 August 2007), Air War (17 December 2007), and Courtship Dating (31 March 2008).
Crystal Castles are known not only for their own efforts as a band, but also for commissioned remixes for number of groups, including Hunting For Witches by Bloc Party, and Atlantis to Interzone by friends and label mates, Klaxons.
In mid-2008, Crystal Castles were involved in two controversies related to artwork permissions and samples in their earliest unreleased songs. Crystal Castles used Trevor Brown's artwork (depicting singer Madonna with a black eye) without permission.
Furthermore, in one of Kath's earliest, unreleased demos, he incorporated a sample without permission. The track, "Insectica (CC vs Lo-Bat Version)", uses clips chopped out of a song by Lo-bat called "My Little Droid Needs a Hand", released under a Creative Commons license. Another track called "Love and Caring", samples the kick and snare from Covox's "Sunday".
In 23 April 2010 the duo released their second album Crystal Castles (II). This album reached #48 on UK Singles Chart, #8 on UK Dance Albums Chart, #24 on US Digital Albums, #6 on US Top Electronic Albums, and #3 on US Top Heatseekers. Crystal Castles (II) has been met with mostly positive reviews from critics. To date, four singles were issued: Doe Deer, Celestica and Baptism, and a new version of the track Not In Love which featured Robert Smith of The Cure on vocals.
This became their biggest hit to date, charting in a great amount of countries including a #3 in Belgium (Flanders), a #31 in Denmark and various notable placements on official alternative music charts. "Not In Love", which is a cover of a Platinum Blonde song of the same name, was also featured in various television shows (including "Degrassi") and the popular football simulation videogame FIFA 12.
The band toured throughout 2010 in the US and abroad and played the Reading and Leeds Festivals and Glastonbury Festival in the UK and Big Day Out in Australia. In February 2011, the band will perform on the NME Awards Tour
The band's third album, (III) was released on November 21, 2012. The album contains the singles "Plague", "Wrath of God", and "Sad Eyes".
On October 8th 2014 it was announced on then lead singer Alice Glass' Twitter that she was leaving the band, and that the group would end. However, Crystal Castles' manager immediately reported that the band would continue, and on April 15th, 2015, Ethan Kath shared a new track titled Frail on SoundCloud, writing 'this is Edith on vocals', implying that fellow musician Edith Frances was Crystal Castles' new lead vocalist, which was in fact the case.
On 2 July 2015, another new song, Deicide, was released as a single. A new version of Deicide was later released on the album under the title Their Kindness is Charade.
In late November 2015, Edith Frances played her first show as the other half of Crystal Castles in South Africa.
In the last week of June 2016, the track Concrete was leaked on Korean website MNet. The track was later released as a single on July 6 with an accompanying video Video on the same day on YouTube.
On June 29, the band previewed a new track Femen with a teaser of the music Video showing birds caught and struggling in mist nets via Vimeo.
On July 11, the band announced the new record, Amnesty (I) along with its cover art and track list and also premiering Char as Annie Mac's Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1.
The single and pre-order for the album were made available a day later on July 12.
The fourth, and last pre-order single Fleece was made available on August 16 at the band's iTunes page.
Another single titled Sadist was released on August 18, followed by the official release of the album on August 19, 2016. Track Sadist was followed by Edith's message announced on CC official Facebook page.
On their official website CC announced that all band's proceeds from Amnesty (I) album will be donated to Amnesty International. New album Vinyl and CD includes bonus track Kept.
http://www.crystalcastles.com
Various sources have reported that, as of 2018, Crystal Castles remains in a hiatus with no signs of new material coming in the near future.
xxzxcuzx me
Crystal Castles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bring me the tools
Pleasure our insides
You said, leave me for dead
How can you love
Program the head?
We get so fed up with it
Run, I can do it
As your bodies fall apart
Robotic love
I'm programmed to rust
AIDS robot
Is grinding iron bolts
Robot hunks have one agenda
They wanna play with my placenta
Are we now deserving
When our cyborg parts are burning?
I know we're just diseased appliances
Where will you live?
What will you die for?
Sex is killing me
Baby, I know
Wrong time, wrong place, wrong fucking race
Just because we don't feel flesh
Doesn't mean we don't fear death
The lyrics to Crystal Castles's song "xxzxcuzx me" are a commentary on the idea of love and relationships within a society that is increasingly disassociated and disconnected from human emotion. The first stanza seems to be a challenge to society's norms, with the artists insisting on causing chaos and finding pleasure within themselves, rather than in others. The line "how can you love? Program the head" speaks to the idea that modern technology and media may be programming people's ideas of love and relationships, rather than them being genuine emotions.
The second stanza takes on a more robotic and industrial tone, with the lines "nuts and bolts for granted" and "as your bodies fall apart" referencing the idea that people are becoming more and more like machines, just functioning and breaking down like pieces of machinery. The line "robotic love, I'm programmed to run" speaks to the idea that relationships are becoming more transactional and less genuine, with people running away when they feel uncomfortable or when things get too difficult.
The final stanza takes a darker turn, with the artists acknowledging their own dehumanization and the idea that they are just "diseased appliances". The lines "sex is killing me" and "just because we don't feel flesh doesn't mean we don't fear death" speak to the idea that even though we may be becoming more robotic and disconnected, we are still mortal beings with the same fears and desires as always.
Overall, "xxzxcuzx me" is a haunting and thought-provoking commentary on modern society's disassociation and dehumanization.
Line by Line Meaning
We can insist on havoc
We have the power to wreak havoc and destruction on our surroundings if we choose to do so.
Bring me the tools, pleasure our insides
Give me the means to satisfy our desires and indulge in hedonistic pleasures.
You said, "Leave me for dead"
You told me to abandon you and let you die.
How can you love?
Questioning the ability to feel love and affection in the midst of chaos and turmoil.
Program the head
The mind can be manipulated and controlled through programming and conditioning.
We get so fed up with it
We become frustrated and disillusioned with the state of the world around us and our own existence.
Nuts and bolts for granted
We take the basic components of our being for granted and fail to appreciate the intricacies of our existence.
Run along like a dog
Living life in a subservient and instinctual manner, without questioning or challenging the status quo.
As your bodies fall apart
Our physical bodies deteriorate and decay over time, reminding us of our mortality.
Robotic love, I'm programmed to run
Embracing a mechanical and emotionless approach to love and relationships, with a focus on function over feeling.
AIDS robot is grinding iron bolts
The AIDS epidemic is a destructive force that is slowly and relentlessly corroding society.
Robot hunks have one agenda
Attractive and charming individuals often have ulterior motives and a single-minded focus on their own personal goals.
They wanna play with my placenta
Others view our bodies as mere objects to exploit and manipulate for their own gain.
Are we now deserving
Do we deserve the pain and suffering that we experience as a result of our own actions and choices?
When our cyborg parts are burning?
When we are faced with the consequences of our own technological advancements and the dangers that they pose.
I know we're just diseased appliances
Our bodies and minds are not much different than machines, prone to malfunction and decay over time.
Where will you live? What will you die for?
What is the purpose of our existence if we cannot find a true home or meaning in life?
Sex is killing me
The pursuit of sex and pleasure can have destructive consequences on our physical and mental health.
Baby, I know
Acknowledging the harsh realities of life and existence.
Wrong time, wrong place, wrong fucking race
Born into circumstances that can make our lives difficult or oppressive, based on factors outside of our control.
Just because we don't feel flesh
Our physical bodies may not experience sensation or pleasure, but we still have emotions and desires.
Doesn't mean we don't fear death
Even if we are not alive in the traditional sense, we still fear the end of our existence and the unknown beyond it.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Alice Glass, Ethan Kath
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
999
Rana
@walksalot_talksalot
We can insist on havoc
Bring it to us
Pleasure our insides
You said, leave me for dead
How can your love
Program the head?
We get so fed up with it
Nuts and bolts for granted
Run, I can do it
As your bodies fall apart
(Bruh)
No robotic love
I'm programmed to rust
AIDS robot
Is grinding iron bolts
Robot hunks have one agenda
They wanna play with my placenta
Are we now deserving
When our cyborg parts are burning?
I know we're just diseased appliances
Where will you live?
What will you die for?
Sex is killing me
Baby, I know
Wrong time
Wrong place
Wrong fucking race
Just because we don't feel flesh
Doesn't mean we don't fear death
@Dr_Pickle
We can insist on havoc
Bring it to us
Pleasure our insides
You said "leave me for dead"
How can your love program the head?
We get so demonstrated
Nuts and bolts for granted
Run along like a dog
As your bodies fall apart
Robotic love
I'm programmed to run
AIDs robot is grinding iron bolts
Robot hunks have one agenda:
They want to play with my placenta
Are we love deserving
When our cyborg parts are burning?
I know we're just diseased appliances
Where will you live?
What will you die for?
Sex is killing me
Baby, I know
Wrong time
Wrong place
Wrong fucking race
Just because we don't feel flesh
Doesn't mean we don't fear death
@SLUGVI
we can insist on havoc
bring me to life , pleasure our insides
you said, "leave me for dead"
how can your love program the head ?
we get so offended with it
nuts and bolts for granted
run along like ive done
as two bodies fall apart
woah
robotic love
im programmed to rot
aids, robot is clad in iron bolts
robot hunks have one agenda
they wanna play with my placenta
are we now deserving
when our cyborg parts are burning
i know were just diseased appliances
where will you live?
when will you die?
your sex is killing me
baby, i know
wrong time, wrong place
wrong fucking race
just because we dont feel flesh
doesnt mean we dont fear death
@edur9582
the more crystal castles music you listen the more you know and enter this exclusive bubble
@genericname1451
no
@bloodiedstahlhelm
I now cannot escape it
@ichikoaobaenjoyer
what exclusive bubble
@dalekarmy
bruh crystal castles ain't unknown lol
@markhammond6455
I guess we are going deeper than expected
@brandonbrown5652
Really happy to see people are still listening to this
@piroshk1968
🫡🫡🫡
@DirtTapes_
One of the underrated songs