Alice Glass Fights Back In Her New Video “Without Love”

In case you needed a reminder, Alice Glass is a force to be reckoned with. “Without Love” is the former Crystal Castles frontwoman's first official solo release, following the distortion-heavy loosie “Stillbirth” in 2015.

Glass has previously described her forthcoming solo material as “like a kitten eating its hoarding owners after they die.” On “Without Love,” she channels that unmistakable blend of sweetness and deadliness that only she can pull off so well, singing, “How are you gonna lie about me now?” over a concoction of syrupy bass and broken-fairground synths.

While it’s distinctly brighter, this track burns with the same fighting spirit as “Stillbirth.” Glass donated all proceeds from that song to domestic abuse charities, and published a statement detailing her own experience of abuse. She wrote: "I want young women and young men to understand that this kind of treatment of others can happen where it might be least expected. Even in environments that thrive on creativity and open-mindedness, that advocate artistic and counter-culture ideals." On “Without Love,” she sings of battling feelings of worthlessness, of how she “sold myself to him” — and of survival.

The video, co-produced by by The FADER and MAAVVEN, was directed by Floria Sigismondi, director of The Runaways and two episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale. Sigismondi has a legendary career in music videos, being a frequent collaborator of Marilyn Manson, and most recently the director of Perfume Genius’s haunting “Die 4 You.” Surreal and bursting with color, “Without Love” is one of the most vulnerable visuals Glass has ever released, and yet her most powerful. She sparkles and seethes as she battles against rope ties made of flowers, and walks to what looks like the ends of the earth.

“I like the idea of something beautiful and dark living simultaneously in the same place,” Floria wrote in an email to The FADER. “‘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.” Watch the video above.

Read a full interview with Floria Sigismondi here.

September 14: Los Angeles, CA, The Echo
September 26: Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts
September 27: Silver Spring, MD, The Fillmore*
September 29: Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE*
September 30: New York, NY, Hammerstein Ballroom*
October 2: Boston, MA, House Of Blues*
October 3: Huntington, NY, The Paramount*
October 5: Toronto, ON, Rebel*
October 6: Detroit, MI, Assemble Sound
October 7: Cleveland, OH, House Of Blues
October 8: Columbus, OH, Express Live!*
October 10: Chicago, IL, Riviera Theatre*
October 11: Milwaukee, WI, The Rave*
October 15: Houston, TX, HOB Peacock Lounge
October 17: Tulsa, OK, Brady Theater*
October 19: Denver, CO, Fillmore Auditorium*
October 20: Salt Lake City, UT, The Complex*
October 22: Portland, OR, Star Theater
October 23: Oakland, CA, Fox Theater*
October 24: San Diego, CA, The Observatory
October 27: Las Vegas, NV, House Of Blues*
October 28: Las Vegas, NV, House Of Blues*
October 29: San Pedro, CA, The Growlers Festival
October 30: Anaheim, CA, House Of Blues Parish

*with Marilyn Manson