Xiu Xiu

Formed in 2002 in San Jose, California, around Jamie Stewart following the end of Ten in the Swear Jar, Xiu Xiu initially belonged to the American indie scene before becoming a project of variable line-up, today mainly led by Stewart and Angela Seo. Xiu Xiu's music blends experimental rock, art pop, post-punk, minimal electronics and noise, with tracks that alternate synthetic melodies, dry percussion, disjointed structures and more direct passages. From Knife Play (2002), then A Promise (2003) and Fabulous Muscles (2004), Xiu Xiu established a songwriting approach in which pop songs are regularly put under tension by abrasive textures and unstable arrangements. Over the years Xiu Xiu broadened its scope with records such as Dear God, I Hate Myself (2010), the covers collection Nina (2013) dedicated to Nina Simone, and Plays the Music of Twin Peaks (2016), a reworking of music by David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti. Remaining active across indie rock, noise and experimental music circles, Xiu Xiu continued this evolution with Forget (2017), Girl with Basket of Fruit (2019), OH NO (2021) and Ignore Grief (2023).