CRUSH OF SOULS - Lézire

In 2020, Charles Rowell moved from New York to Paris; the relocation from the Big Apple to the Ville Lumière coincided with the birth of Crush Of Souls, the new creature of the multifaceted American musician, previously active in the hardcore punk scene (The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower, Some Girls) and in lo-fi/garage/indie, most notably with Crocodiles. Under his current moniker, Rowell had already released the album "(A)Void Love" for Avant! Records in 2023, and it's the same Bolognese label handling this comeback, released in March of this year.

"Lezire" (a blend of the French words for "Lizard" and "Desire") confirms the goth-meets-industrial formula developed on the debut, benefiting from new collaborations: the voice of Harry Howard (These Immortal Souls) on one track, and the sax of Stanislas de Miscault, while Stevan Dinet handles synths and drum machine; at the mixing desk, Canadian Ewan Kay (whose résumé includes collaborations with Austra, Zanias, Kontravoid).

The Crush-Of-Souls sound is the result of influences well established within the genre: Sisters Of Mercy, Psychic TV, Suicide... remixed with craft and personality, the same personality that has defined the expat's musical output over the past two decades. Neofolk-tinged episodes (the aforementioned "You Rose Up", with Howard on vocals) coexist with the old school Ebm of "No Soul" and "Touch From A Heartbeat", a blend in perfect balance between metal-dance and quality synth-pop, which at times recalls Depeche Mode "on steroids", as on the opening "World Tears" and on "PSSS".

Lyrically, the fil rouge is the French capital, to which the musician dedicates a veritable "love letter", caught between fascination and decadence, sealed by the artwork that immortalizes — elegant yet in chains — Charles's wife, Laure Marie, a perfect summary of the concentrated dose of dark, intriguing wave delivered across the ten tracks of "Lézire".

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26/12/2025