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Crystal Castles Tease Depeche Mode Tour With VHS-y ‘Affection’ Video

Crystal Castles, "Affection," video

Crystal Castles’ new video, a document of their South American tour, arrives as the Canadian duo extend their North American jaunt with Depeche Mode. “Affection,” from last year’s III, is a shrouded mix of flashing electronics and downcast vocals — reviewer Barry Walters called it “tentative” — and the visuals don’t remove the shadows. The song’s video isn’t Crystal Castles’ most attention-grabbing, but it should help prepare Depeche Mode fans for Crystal Castles’ unhinged live shows.

Assembled by Stephen Agnew, who worked with the pair on their prior video for “Sad Eyes,” the clip has a VHS feel. Frontwoman Alice Glass, her hair almost white and her lips blood-red, can be seen wrapping a microphone cord around her neck in live footage shot by producer Ethan Kath during shows in Colombia and Argentina. Other scenes show Glass and Kath walking around in the dark amid fireworks and a figure in a creepy mask. Like the haunted song, it’s always just out of reach, but it captures a moment, and it serves as fair warning to the previously unfamiliar.

Crystal Castles U.S. tour dates:

April 26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
April 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Fox Theater
April 29 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Ballroom
April 30 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theater
May 2 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater
May 3 – Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall
May 5 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
May 6 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
May 7 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
May 9 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls
May 10 – Norfolk, VA @ NorVa
May 11 – Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head
May 13 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
May 14 – Quebec City, Quebec @ Capitole
June 7 – New York, NY @ Governors Ball Music Festival
August 2-4 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
September 18 – Houston, TX @ CWM Pavilion *
September 22 – San Diego, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater *
September 24 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara County Bowl *
September 26 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater *
September 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center *
September 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center *
October 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples/Honda *
October 8 – Phoenix, AZ @ Desert Sky Pavilion *

* with Depeche Mode