Experimental rock duo Xiu Xiu have a new album on the way titled OH NO, and it’s brimming with eclectic guest talent. Their 12th full-length to date following 2019’s Girl with Basket of Fruit is due out March 26th via Polyvinyl Records.
According to the band, the forthcoming LP came together amidst a “profound rediscovery of community and friendship.” It boasts duets with prominent acts like Sharon Van Etten, Chelsea Wolfe, Owen Pallett, Grouper, Twin Shadow, and Alice Bag. There are also collaborative tracks with members of Deerhoof, Circuit des Yeux, Liars, and Shearwater.
“The guest stars of OH NO reflect the types of people, and many of the very same, who helped remind me that the ratio of beautiful humans to shitty humans is more like 60/40 rather than what I have always assumed was 1/99,” Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart remarked in a statement. “Although there is an ‘I HATE PEOPLE’ pin on my guitar strap, I hate them less now.”
As an early look at the new album, Xiu Xiu are serving up “A Bottle of Rum”, a collaboration with Liz Harris, a.k.a. Grouper. The two acts are well acquainted with one another, as they previously teamed up on the 2007 album Creepshow.
“A Bottle of Rum” was the first complete tune Stewart wrote on his bajo quinto (a 10-strong low register guitar-like instrument), which he purchased about a year ago. The founding member explained further,
“I had been trying to write a song on this bajo quinto to no avail and then drunkenly (A Bottle of Rum) listened to Liz’s song, “Heavy Water/I’d Rather Be Sleeping.” A spark shone and feebly I tried to write something that, at least at first, sounded like it. I had asked Liz Harris, who is an old friend, if she would sing on this new record of duets. Initially I thought of her for another song but she specifically, although not knowing she had been the inspiration behind it in the first place, asked to be on this one. If the stars ever have aligned… well then.”
Check out the single below via its official video, helmed by Xiu Xiu’s own Angela Seo. Pre-orders for OH NO are ongoing.
OH NO Artwork:
OH NO Tracklist:
01. Sad Mezcalita (feat. Sharon Van Etten)
02. I Cannot Resist (feat. Deb Demure of Drab Majesty)
03. The Grifters (feat. Haley Fohr)
04. Goodbye For Good (feat. Greg Saunier of Deerhoof)
05. OH NO (feat. Susanne Sachsse)
06. Rumpus Room (feat. Angus Andrew of Liars)
07. Fuzz Gong Fight (feat. Angela Seo of Xiu Xiu)
08. I Dream of Someone Else Entirely (feat. Owen Pallett)
09. One Hundred Years (feat. Chelsea Wolfe) [The Cure cover]
10. A Classic Screw (feat. Fabrizio Modonese Palumbo)
11. It Bothers Me All the Time (feat. Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater)
12. Saint Dymphna (feat. George Lewis Jr. a.k.a. Twin Shadow)
13. Knock Out (feat. Alice Bag)
14. A Bottle of Rum (feat. Liz Harris a.k.a. Grouper)
15. ANTS (feat. Valerie Diaz)