Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez formed side- project Crosses in 2011, dropped an excellent debut of nocturnal electro-rock, then disappeared for eight years. Those frustrations were corrected by the 2022 EP, Permanent.Radiant, and now their second album has arrived. Goodnight... feels a lot lighter than Crosses’ bruised and brooding debut.
There’s a warmth to the throbbing buzz of opener Pleasure, a brightness in the hollow claps and woozy instrumentation of Found and the glittering chorus of Ghost Ride, all heavier on the synth and bolder in sound and ideas. The collaborations with Run The Jewels rapper El-P on Big Youth and The Cure’s frontman Robert Smith’s presence over mellow synthwave on Girls Float † Boys Cry only elevate what is hopefully now a permanent fixture in our world. A welcome return.
