Alice Glass accuses former Crystal Castles bandmate of rape
Ethan Kath denies the allegations and says he is considering his legal options
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former Crystal Castles singer Alice Glass has accused her former bandmate of rape and cited it as the reason behind her decision to quit the band.
Glass released a statement that alleged, with graphic detail, that Kath (real name Claudio Palmieri) had raped her and physically and mentally abused her since she was 15-years-old.
“He was manipulative towards me,” the statement read. “He figured out my insecurities and exploited them: he used the things he learned about me against me. Over a period of many months, he gave me drugs and alcohol and had sex with me in an abandoned room at an apartment he managed. It wasn't always consensual and he remained sober whenever we were together.”
Glass claims that Kath began to “abusively and systematically targeting my insecurities and controlling my behaviour: my eating habits, who I could talk to, where I could go, what I could say in public, what I was allowed to wear.
"He kept me from doing interviews or photoshoots unless he was in control of the situation... he became physically abusive. He held me over a staircase and threatened to throw me down it. He picked me up over his shoulders and threw me onto concrete.”
She also claimed that Kath told her that her feminism made her “a target for rapists and only he could protect me. He forced me to have sex with him, or, he said, I wouldn't be allowed in the band anymore”.
After a decade of alleged abuse, Glass said leaving the band was “one of the best decisions I've ever made. It has taken me years to recover from.. abuse, manipulation and psychological control. I am still recovering.”
In a statement to Pitchfork via his lawyer, Kath denied all of Glass's allegations.
“I am outraged and hurt by the recent statements made by Alice about me and our prior relationship,” a statement read. “Her story is pure fiction and I am consulting my lawyers as to my legal options. Fortunately, there are many witnesses who can and will confirm that I was never abusive to Alice.”
Stereogum reports that Crystal Castles have cancelled their existing tour dates following the accusations.
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
When she left the band in 2014, Glass wrote: “For a multitude of reasons both professional and personal I no longer feel that this is possible within CC.”
In April 2015 Kath released a new song and said he thought it could be “empowering for her [Glass] to be in charge of her own project. It should be rewarding for her considering she didn’t appear on Crystal Castles’ best known songs”.
Glass responded: “For the record, I wrote almost all of the lyrics in my former band and the vast majority of the vocal melodies,” adding: “I was a founding member of Crystal Castles and shaped the sound and aesthetic from the very beginning… manipulative statements about my contributions to the band only reinforce the decision I made to move on to other things."