“[channel] takes place in the Bardo, a Himalayan Buddhist term for the discontinuities in consciousness that occur between wake and sleep, sleep and dream, and death and rebirth.”
XXU & UXX return one year after their debut with [channel], a creeping gothwave record twining sonic industrial accoutrements to gorgeous witchy incantations. On “Cold,” the duo is joined by local metal and dark ambient stalwart Leila Abdul-Rauf (of Vastum and many other heavy projects) whose haunting trumpet to adds another layer to the foggy evolving soundscape. “Touch” is another standout: The arrhythmic thrumming and whirring, uneasy synth backdrop offering a stage for subdued but theatrical singing, ruminating on love—“serious as a heart attack.” Out now on Katabatik.
