Xiu Xui are a set of avante-garde Californian rockers, set to drop their new album 'Always' on March 6th. 'Hi' fell from within the folds of this latest effort a week ago, and I'm liking the sounds on it! Four minutes of experimental rock that hit you with fists backed by theatrical brawn, 'Hi' plays out like a twisted version of 'If You're Happy and You Know It'. The vocals demand with tangible passion that "if you're wasting your life say hi", a request followed by a number of similarly somber statements. This singing is Xiu Xiu's selling point. Electronic phrases douse the track in shadow, throbbing guitar sounds hanging heavy in the air, but the sheer unmistakable sadness radiating from the vocal fallout is what makes 'Hi'. Often I find tracks that need so much more emotion injected into them. Xiu Xiu is brimming with an incredible amount of this emotion however, tears staining the fabric of the track and heavy breathing quickening its pace. There's a beauitful bit of instrumentation at the end that, in its layering, power and inept ability to be technically perfect, makes for a wonderful finish to a brilliant number. Individuality is an element to music I strive to find, and Xiu Xiu have it!
