Year of the Witch

by HXXS

Overview

On Year of the Witch, HXXS' Gavin Neves and Jeannie Colleene sound like a pair of broken androids trying to make sense of a human society that's even more messed-up than they are. One thing's for sure: they're not afraid to stand out from their contemporaries, most of whom blend electronic music and indie rock into smooth '80s-inspired homages. With their clanging, beeping, short-circuiting synths and samples and Colleene's glitching wails, they embody and decry the polarization and paranoia of the late 2010s. When Colleene shrieks, "There goes the neighborhood!" on "Full Health," she distills the era's snowballing anxiety; "Last Days of Magic" is equal parts frayed wires and frayed nerves. Year of the Witch is especially potent when Colleene and Neves use their fragmented fury to explore fear and anger in elemental, almost biblical terms. The vicious circle of cruelty on "Year of the Knife" culminates in a witch hunt full of blood and fire, skittering, ritualistic rhythms, and jabbering vocals reminiscent of Liars' They Were Wrong, So We Drowned. "Their Satanic Majesty's 3rd Request," which features TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone, is an eerie, soulful standout. On "Learner," Colleene coos "I just need to get a feel for you" like an outtake from Ex Machina over pneumatic synths that hark back to the Normal's "Warm Leatherette." The outlandishness of the duo's music reaches cartoonish heights on "Up South," where shreds of guitar and what sounds like a cross between a saxophone and squeaking balloons soundtrack a thwarted bid for salvation. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	10/18/2019
Label:	Captured Tracks
UPC:	0817949018092
Rank:	164364

Tracks

1. Last Days of Magic
2. Double Down
3. Hail Mary
4. Learner
5. Up South
6. No Price on That Power
7. This Loss of Blood Has Me Feeling Some Type of Way
8. Their Satanic Majesty's 3rd Request
9. Hard to Tell
10. Year of the Knife
11. Full Health
12. Build A Fire

Album Credits

Performance Credits

HXXS   Primary Artist