On
Year of the Witch,
HXXS'
Gavin Neves and
Jeannie Colleene sound like a pair of broken androids trying to make sense of a human society that's even more messed-up than they are. One thing's for sure: they're not afraid to stand out from their contemporaries, most of whom blend electronic music and indie rock into smooth '80s-inspired homages. With their clanging, beeping, short-circuiting synths and samples and
Colleene's glitching wails, they embody and decry the polarization and paranoia of the late 2010s. When
Colleene shrieks, "There goes the neighborhood!" on "Full Health," she distills the era's snowballing anxiety; "Last Days of Magic" is equal parts frayed wires and frayed nerves.
Year of the Witch is especially potent when
Colleene and
Neves use their fragmented fury to explore fear and anger in elemental, almost biblical terms. The vicious circle of cruelty on "Year of the Knife" culminates in a witch hunt full of blood and fire, skittering, ritualistic rhythms, and jabbering vocals reminiscent of
Liars'
They Were Wrong, So We Drowned. Not coincidentally,
HXXS worked with that band's
Angus Andrew on
Mkdrone. But where that EP balanced jagged sounds with wide-open atmospheres, this time
Neves and
Colleene pile on the noise to equally evocative and frustrating effect. On "Hard to Tell," a choir of
Colleene's skreeing vocals becomes a murder of crows, the perfect backdrop for the song's misdeeds. However, this abrasiveness becomes grating on "Hail Mary"'s demented chant. While cyclical anguish is a major part of
Year of the Witch, the way
HXXS express it sometimes muddles their message. When they add the faintest hint of melody to their music, it's not just easier to listen to, it gives more purpose and direction to their outbursts. "Their Satanic Majesty's 3rd Request," which features
TV on the Radio's
Kyp Malone, is an eerie, soulful standout. On "Learner,"
Colleene coos "I just need to get a feel for you" like an outtake from Ex Machina over pneumatic synths that hark back to
the Normal's "Warm Leatherette." The outlandishness of the duo's music reaches cartoonish heights on "Up South," where shreds of guitar and what sounds like a cross between a saxophone and squeaking balloons soundtrack a thwarted bid for salvation. Musically and conceptually, there's a lot going on in
HXXS' music, and while
Year of the Witch is more intriguing than consistent, it's too unsettling and vivid to dismiss entirely.