Formed in 2019, Stockholm’s powerviolence unit known as XIAO have made it their mission to produce an unrelenting assault on the senses on their debut Pain EP.
Featuring members of well-known hardcore acts such as Grieved and No Omega, XIAO are no newcomers to the scene. This time, however, they wanted to try something new. Taking influences from a very different part of the hardcore spectrum, their music is a reflection of a violent and desperate world, some of whose aspects were painfully explored in these fragments.
Pain showcases the band’s vicious and emotionally-charged sonic explorations. Full of technical, ripping aggression, these six tracks mix blastbeats, d-beat and sludgey breakdowns, complete with a stranglehold of bouncy rhythms and catchy riffs coming straight outta ’80s hardcore rulebook. Channeling a dystopian angst through humanity’s crusade in the pursuit of happiness, XIAO’s lyrics are programmed with the total assurance that what you do matters when, in fact, nothing matters.
Without further ado, DIY Conspiracy is proud to present Pain in full below:
The music on XIAO’s Pain was recorded by Daniel Noring (God Mother), mixed by Tea Bøy (ArnoxDuebel), and mastered by Noam J. Cohen (Swain).
XIAO is on Instagram & Youtube, watch the video of their debut single “Repel” here:
