Exclusives

††† (Crosses) Live at TLA Philly

By Blow The Scene Staff

Posted on September 7, 2014

Earlier this summer we caught up with, ††† (Crosses) featuring Deftones singer Chino Moreno and Far bassist Shawn Lopez as the group played to a packed TLA Theater in South Philly. The newly formed ensemble released a debut full-length in November of 2013 combining two previously released EPs with new material that Sumerian Recordings wrapped in a stellar new double-LP format.

Purely secular music with a fetish for Christian and witch house aesthetics, ††† (Crosses) represents some of the most engaging contributions any involved party has released in several years. Meandering between dark synth-laden pop and alternative rock this first full-length catalogues an amalgamation of subtle styles that fuse surpassingly well without being overly ambitious. With underlying beats that mix analogue percussion with a range of electronics, the prevailing atmosphere is slow moving, dense, and inviting. The melodic motifs provided by the keys, guitars, and programing are executed with haunting precision. The dark visual elements of the band’s iconography find life in the shrieking overtures that torment a majority of the tracks. The prevailing darkness establishes an authenticity of sound. ††† is currently available at Sumerian Recordings, streaming below in the Youtube player.

††† (Crosses) is slated to play on September 20th at the Sunset Strip Music Festival with Jane’s Addiction, Failure, Cold War Kids, Minus The Bear, and more.

Supporting act Death Valley High was also on hand currently supporting a 2013 effort, Positive Euth. With a self-described sound of ‘distorted guitar riffs over dance-punk beats,’ this latest effort was engineered by Jesse Hart Nichols (The Stooges, Ty Segal) and mixed by Eric Stenman (Thrice, Deftones). Also supporting ††† (Crosses) on this particular evening was avante-garde act Nostalghia who captivated the audience as front-woman, 25-year-old singer-songwriter Ciscandra Nostalghia let loose her visceral goth-tinged, pop-bellows. Nostalghia is joined by Roy Gnan on the drums and electronics along with touring cellist Adele Stein. Nostalghia continues to support a recent full-length, Chrysalis on 110 Records.