Xiu Xiu — OH NO — Album Review
Experimental | Alternative
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
I first found out about the experimental band Xiu Xiu in 2019, upon my discovery of their eleventh studio album Girl with Basket of Fruit. It puzzles me to this day regarding why I hadn’t discovered them earlier, but either way I could tell their experience really shone through on this record, which carried a highly unnerving tone, that shook me to my core throughout. As a result, Girl with Basket of Fruit became one of the most memorable records of that entire year, and it left me wondering how the band would follow through, after setting that bar so high.
fast-forward to earlier this year, and we received our first taste of their new record to come, in the form of their first teaser track “A Bottle Of Rum”. Right off the bat, I could sense that this track was shaping the idea that Xiu Xiu’s newest endeavour would bring listeners a slightly more accessible flavour of their experimentation than the likes of Girl with Basket of Fruit, and this was definitely something I could appreciate; I mean, they pretty much reached the pinnacle of creating an unnerving atmosphere with their last record, so I could at least respect that they would strive to do something different.
But what I found unusual, was the fact that I really wasn’t expecting what we ultimately got with the release of OH NO, even after listening to the aforementioned teaser, as well as the second teaser track “Rumpus Room”. While the likes of Girl with Basket of Fruit injected Xiu Xiu’s experimentation into deeply unnerving territory, OH NO takes that same quality the band have, and for the most part, up the sense of slow-burning artistry, amongst a deeply melancholy canvas.
Unfortunately, this made me feel as if Xiu Xiu were backing themselves into a corner of feeling like what you’d typically expect from an “experimental” artist, with almost all of the attention going towards creating an ambience. Especially in the earlier half of the album, the vast majority of track felt like the kinds of songs that would’ve fit as the closing slow-burner for any other album. On the surface, I could definitely appreciate the intricacy that went into these songs, but I would be lying if I said that this first half was lacking in terms of impact.
However, I can say that things do try and become a bit more hard-hitting in the second half of the album, which in a metaphorical sense, kind of reminds me of enduring a dreary and rainy morning, to see the sun peek out slightly in intervals during the afternoon.
I also felt that Xiu Xiu make a slight return to their unnerving feel on this second half (with the best case and point being the track “It Bothers Me All The Time”). And while this was, one one hand, something to celebrate, it also made me see even less point in taking such a drab approach in the earlier half.
I could at least say that I got a pretty good sense of the narrative that Xiu Xiu was trying to go for, which I interpreted as OH NO being an album about anxiety on a deep level. I feel that if the stylistic consistency of this record manage to be level with the strength of this supposed narrative, I feel that OH NO would’ve stood as another pretty remarkable record from Xiu Xiu.
And while it’s still easy for me to say that I much prefer their previous effort, OH NO is still a very noteworthy record; one that I feel may grow on me a bit more in due time.
Favourite Tracks: Rumpus Room | It Bothers Me All The Time | A Bottle of Rum
Least Favourite Track: Knock Out
Polyvinyl Record Co.
Enjoyment: 7/10 | Memorability: 7/10 | Atmosphere: 8/10
Uniqueness: 7/10 | Satisfaction: 5/10 | Narrative: 7/10
