Xiu Xiu Sends Shockwaves With One of Their Most Explosive, Experimental Singles “Common Loon”

After moving from LA to Berlin, adding a new member in the form of David Kendrick, and wanting to do something more unexpected than a career defined by unexpectedness, experimental band Xiu Xiu are back just over a year after their last album, Ignore Grief, with “Common Loon.” The new single and video, described by founding member Jamie Stewart as a “boogie embrace for queer perverts across the multiverse,” comes from their upcoming album, 13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips, out Sept. 27 via Polyvinyl. They will also embark on a world tour starting Sept. 20, including an LA date at Lodge Room on Oct. 30.

Since 2017’s FORGET, Xiu Xiu has been alternating between projects defined by abrasive noise and more “accessible” albums that still sound distinct from bands of the past and the future. Considering Ignore Grief fell deep into the dark abyss of industrial music, the pendulum this time was primed to swing in the other direction. “Common Loon” somewhat follows that trend but takes the best elements of Xiu Xiu’s duality and obliterates what anyone could have expected throughout their prolific 20+ year career.

A relatively straightforward guitar deceptively starts matters off on a simple note, with an explosion of pedalboards and synthesizers soon after. Somehow, the chain reaction comes together without erupting on itself, thanks to a synergy that Stewart and longtime member Angela Seo had locked in before Kendrick’s arrival. Stewart’s typically haunting vocals are omnipresent across the track, just barely audible over the walls of an effect-heavy guitar. So much so that the at-first esoteric lyrics, while buried in a coffin underneath the cacophony of instruments, are still there for listeners to discover the underlying queer themes.

“The song ‘Common Loon,’ for us, is about reveling in perversity, cuckooness, queerness and/or the unquenchable personal requirement to wild out,” said Stewart. There’s a possibility no one else understands “Common Loon” more than performance artist Alicia McDaid, who created the song’s bold music video. Across what might be thousands of clips of McDaid carrying out several bizarre activities, there’s little left to the imagination of what the human body is capable of. The full explicit version is even wilder than the censored cut on YouTube, featuring corn dog deepthroating, multicolored throw-up, near-naked Garfield cosplay. You get the idea.

“Common Loon,” mixed to audacious perfection by John Congleton (Lana Del Rey), is an early promise of what could be Xiu Xiu’s best project, a considerable feat when stacked against their daring catalog. Given the many times the band has changed over the years, their new material avoids any concern of plateauing, leaving nothing but anticipation for what’s next.

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Words: David Sosa

“Common Loon” by Xiu Xiu is out now on all streaming services. For more on their upcoming album and tour dates, including shows in San Diego at UCSD’s The Loft on Sept. 26 and LA at Lodge Room on Oct. 30, follow them on Instagram and their website.

Xiu Xiu 2024 World Tour:
# w/ EVICSHEN
% Special commission by Seattle Theater Group – dance by Zoe Juniper with live music by Xiu Xiu

09/20 – Reno, NV @ The Holland Project
09/21 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club
09/22 – Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
09/23 – Portland, OR @ Holocene
09/24 – Arcata, CA @ The Miniplex
09/26 – San Diego, CA @ The Loft at UCSD
09/27 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
09/28 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
09/30 – Austin, TX @ The Parish
10/02 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
10/03 – New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
10/05 – Orlando, FL @ Conduit
10/06 – Miami, FL @ Gramps
10/07 – Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
10/08 – Savannah, GA @ Lodge Of Sorrows
10/09 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/10 – Durham, NC @ TBA
10/11 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
10/13 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro
10/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMoca
10/15 – New York, NY @ LPR
10/16 – Providence, RI @ AS220 Live Arts
10/17 – Portland, ME @ Space Gallery
10/18 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmont
10/19 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
10/20 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
10/21 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
10/22 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
10/23 – Des Moines, IA @ xBk
10/24 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
10/26 – Fort Collins, CO @ The Coast
10/27 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/29 – San Francisco, CA @ Gray Area Foundation for the Arts
10/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Lodge Room
11/08 – Groeningen, Netherlands @ Vera
11/09 – Den Bosch, Netherlands @ FAQ Festival
11/10 – Rotterdam, Netherlands @ De Doelen
11/11 – Brussels, Belgium @ La Botanique
11/13 – Bristol, UK @ Strange Brew
11/14 – Brighton, UK @ Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (ACCA)
11/15 – Stockport, UK @ St Mary’s
11/16 – Glasgow, UK @ Room 2 Cottiers
11/17 – Oxford, UK @ The Bullingdon
11/19 – London, UK @ Heaven #
11/20 – Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach #
11/22 – Brest, France @ Festival Invisible #
11/23 – Paris, France @ Hasard Ludique #
11/25 – Grenoble, France @ Le Ciel #
11/27 – Nurnberg, Germany @ Soft Spot / Kantine #
11/28 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Meet Factory #
11/29 – Berlin, Germany @ Lido #
11/30 – Poznań, Poland @ Próżność #
05/17 – Seattle WA @ Moore Theatre %
05/18 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre %