Crystal Castles Amnesty (I)
Album stream , Aug 20, 2016

"It would be unwise to view Amnesty (I) as the rebirth of Crystal Castles; it's simply the next step in the band's evolution, a welcome return."

80 % Exclaim

"At best, it suggests that Crystal Castles are entering a more mellow and accessible phase in their career, potentially welcoming new fans, and at worst, it suggests that Crystal Castles have lost the bite that made them so exhilarating in the first place."

75 % The Line of Best Fit

"Even if Amnesty lacks some of the intensity of Crystal Castles' earlier work, it accomplishes the tricky task of providing common ground and a fresh start."

70 % AllMusic

"At its best, this proves a smart move, and elsewhere, it just shows that albums need only be as long as they can remain interesting."

70 % PopMatters

"Like him or hate him, Kath can compose stirring electro-maniacal rhythms like no one's business. And Frances captures and carries the tortured exclamation of the first three Crystal Castles albums with conviction."

70 % Under The Radar

"The band's melancholic core remains intact on a record that's best listened to through headphones in a big coat while crying. What is noticeable in its absence is any foray into flat out, ear-grating noise á la 'Doe Deer' or 'Alice Practice'."

70 % Clash Music

"So as good as it often is, Amnesty feels like a missed opportunity, the first safe album from an act that once would have recoiled at such a thought."

68 % Pitchfork

"This is an unpredictable album, thrillingly and engagingly so."

67 % Consequence of Sound

"Ultimately, it’s confusion that remains at the end of Amnesty (I). Crystal Castles always were an uncomfortable band, but the bumpy conception of this album and the awkward introduction of new ideas dampen even its most teeth-chattering moments."

60 % New Musical Express (NME)

"If the sense of overfamiliarity is a bit disappointing for a band once lauded as experimentalists, producer Ethan Kath has also retained his knack for writing terrific hooks and warped melodies. Ornament and Kept are nuggets of brilliantly disjointed electropop."

60 % The Observer (UK)

"The record doesn’t achieve a great deal in saying anything new. It’s far from a disaster, though. ... The main issue with Amnesty (I) is that Crystal Castles needed to say something different."

60 % DIY Magazine

"The result is an album that, while impressively intense, lacks the human urgency of their earlier work."

60 % The Guardian

"No alarms and no real surprises, yet the execution carries Crystal Castles 2.0 through."

60 % Drowned In Sound

"The album meets all goth-adjacent indie-dance needs squarely. It doesn't, however, ever transcend those needs."

60 % Slant Magazine

"The first product from Crystal Castles 2.0 is a mixed bag of nostalgia, proficiency, and carefully staged continuity."

58 % Pretty Much Amazing

"Sometimes, Kath will try to replicate the past with a house-oriented number like Frail, where Francis tries her best to replicate Glass’s contagious shrieking but without the same stage presence. In spite of this, Amnesty (I) isn’t afraid of glossing over its faults in hopes of trying out new things."

50 % No Ripcord

"The central dichotomous tension is blandly predictable (loud-quiet-loud-quiet), the songwriting occasionally sharp, but its political themes--like its vocalist--are lost in the fury."

40 % NOW Magazine