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(III)
Electronic · 2012

(III)

Crystal Castles

A somber, streamlined descent into dystopian electronic textures. Shimmering synths and buried vocals create a haunting, danceable eulogy for a broken world.

November 7, 2012 · Casablanca

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This album marks a significant shift from the chaotic, 8-bit digital hardcore of the duo's earlier work toward a more cohesive and atmospheric brand of electronic gloom. Recorded in Berlin and Warsaw, it carries the weight of its surroundings: cold, industrial, and steeped in a sense of historical and modern oppression. The sound is less about the 'shock and awe' of bit-crushed noise and more about a sustained, shimmering dread that feels both beautiful and deeply uncomfortable.

Moments Worth Listening For
The crushing, distorted synth swell that opens Plague like a warning siren.
The way Alice Glass's vocals dissolve into the shimmering, icy arpeggios of Kerosene.
The transition from the claustrophobic tension of Wrath of God into its driving, industrial beat.
Reviews
BBC Music
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AllMusic
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Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does (III) sound next to the rest of Crystal Castles's catalogue?

Social Commentary+3.6σ

The writing leans far further into social commentary than the rest of the catalogue.

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