John Vanderslice has shared the second single off his new album CRYSTALS 3.0 (out April 14th). Where lead single “Crystals 26” included familiar elements of classic Vanderslice, “CRYSTALS 15 (DIE!)” is a bit-crushed transmission intermingled with haunting samples that feels like the logical conclusion of his largely instrumental David Berman tribute from 2021 and more recent foray into crumbling synthesizers. “Once in a while the recording program i use gets stuck in this hyper distorted broken mode where everything sounds 10000x broken and blown out. I only have a few minutes to mix the song and the results are either sublime or trash. this one worked out!” explains Vanderslice. The culmination of a span of ecstatic experimentation with harsh noise and hard drugs, curious samples and cascading sequencers—it is both a new pinnacle for Vanderslice and the manifestation of a revelatory outlook. 

Named for a novel method of synthesizing pure LSD, CRYSTALS 3.0 overflows with youthful vim, the sense that to settle into an old pattern is to be dead already. If you have previously loved John Vanderslice, you will hear him here instantly, whether it’s that familiar warble during lead single “Crystals 26” or the way he cavorts with hooks. If you’ve never known him, you will instead instantly hear a mind on post-modern fire, trying like always to make sense of our modern mess. This side of John Vanderslice’s sound hid in plain sight for two decades, on records that remain essential because of those very interests; it has never sounded more full, dauntless, or thrilling than on CRYSTALS 3.0. 

Following the albums April 14th release, John Vanderslice will embark on an East Coast tour produced by Undertow. Tickets are available here, and the shows are hosted by fans in private spaces.

Photo Courtesy: Letica Llesmin