“Frozen” by Creux Lies

I really liked Creux Lies’ Goodbye Divine, which ably summoned the specters of Joy Division and The Sisters of Mercy with its ghostly take on darkwave and post-punk. As I wrote in my review, “They don’t try to hide their influences at all. Rather, they luxuriate in such classic sounds and in doing so, breathe new life into them and make them feel fresh and vibrant all over again.”

However, I haven’t really kept up with the band post-Goodbye Divine, so I completely missed this banger they released last December, and on Friday the 13th no less. With its echoing beats and throbbing synths courtesy of new member Jon Mak, “Frozen” immediately creates an appropriately ominous air as Ean Clevenger welcomes the night onto the dance floor with his deep voice.

“Frozen” isn’t Creux Lies’ most recent track, though. Back in April, they released “Apocalypto,” which might be their bleakest offering to date. Inspired by the feelings of helplessness and disillusionment at the seemingly unending parade of cruelty that’s grown more prominent under Trump, the single embraces harsh industrial programming and razor-sharp guitars while Clevenger sings “We better hold on tonight, cuz it’s what we feared/There’s no turning back.”