The first song made me Google
"Is Jamie Stewert from Xiu Xiu in Model/ Actriz??
No, it turns out Colde Haden is doing his best impersonation. This album was released in May, and there has been some confusion among listeners who mistakenly believe it is industrial music. That would make Xiu Xiu industrial music, and we know that is not true, though they have some post-punk influence. This project has the frantic energy of youth, but that does not change the fact that it is more anxious indie rock with noise tendencies. It's fun and dancey without being pop music, but that does not make it industrial.
For the song "Poppy," which might be about the singer, but it's more chaotic and tense, but not dark or dystopian. I prefer what was going on in the first two songs. "Diva' finds the ebb and flow of tension moving with more tension, and it comes closer to Nine Inch Nails' more experimental moments, it's electronic-based but not industrial. 'Acid Rain' comes closer to being a more conventional indie rock ballad.
I like where they are going with "Departures." The vocal melody and interplay with the instrumentation have a great sense of movement, and the lyrics hold more purpose. "Audience" carries a clanging that comes within throwing distance of industrial. The vocals drop into more of a low murmur before his nervous vocal habits kick in. There is also more of a bang to "Ring Road" but it drones on and is kind of boring. I like where the first half of this album was going before noise became the forefront. Electronics race away with "Doves", the biggest takeaway being that the vocals play a bigger role. The last song just paces around sparse ambiance, and tries to weave a song from too little sound, leaving nothing for the vocals to work with. I will give this album an 8, these guys have potential and since I like Xiu Xiu there sound is going to appeal to me.
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