Toxic Crusaders

The third single from Deastro’s Moondagger harnesses Randolph Chabot’s positive outlook, hiding a humble plea for a better world inside a bright synth-rock anthem with macabre undertones. Toxic Crusaders envisions a world in which cyclops babies are born from broken families, the symbol of their sins etched in genetic mutation; Chabot plays the hopeful soothsayer, positioning himself as “a prophet of how things should be.” But while “Toxic Crusaders” features some of Deastro’s headier lyrical feats, musically it’s all muscle, featuring stutter-step guitars, blazing synthesizers, and hard-hitting drums, with an unforgettable whistle-while-you-work hook in the chorus. The single’s B-side is a remix by Bristol, UK’s Dave Edwards, aka Minotaur Shock. The 4AD-affiliated producer strips Deastro’s layered arrangement down to its skivvies and shines a spotlight on Chabot, whose voice gains grain and character against Edwards’ cut-up rhythms.