What an exciting debut from this young Bejing band. Xiaowang make music that’s as unexpected as it’s exhilarating. They’re described as “kawaiicore” and that’s a perfect term, as their music is often pitched between the fun and the terrifying.
Steal vacillates between deadpan choppy postpunk and death metal roars, whereas Duck Song is slicing, staccato punk. Then there’s Four Abracadabra, which fuses found sounds with gothic riffs.
The lyrics have heft too, taking on feminism and consumerism in ou increasinglyr fragmented, troubled world. It’s an exceptional, thrilling debut album.
Out via Damnably on June 12th.
Hit The North 