Xiu Xiu Announces Duet Album Oh No Featuring Sharon Van Etten, Chelsea Wolfe, Twin Shadow, Liars and More for March 2021 Release

Experimental band Xiu Xiu have announced a new duet album called Oh No, which is set for release on March 26 via Polyvinyl. Oh No is set to have features from Sharon Van Etten, Chelsea Wolfe, Alice Bag, Haley Fohr of Circuit des Yeux, Owen Pallett, Twin Shadow and members of Deerhoof, Drab Majesty, Liars and Shearwater.

This new album is supported by a single called “A Bottle of Rum,” which features vocalist and ambient musician Liz Harris, better known as Grouper. This single is supported by a music video directed by Xiu Xiu member Angela Seo, which is shot with a low-budget horror aesthetic.

“A Bottle of Rum,” mainly focuses on Seo, who is greeted by a number of cryptic imagery such as skulls, a living hand in the dirt and even a tarot card reader in the video. This DIY aesthetic goes well with the indie pop track, which blends Xiu Xiu’s eclectic chord progressions and vocal styles, with Harris’ more spacious vocals and lo-fi ambiance.

Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart explained that “A Bottle of Rum” was inspired by the Grouper song “Heavy Water/I’d Rather Be Sleeping,” which he listened to while intoxicated. Stewart was originally going to use the singer for another track, but settled on “A Bottle of Rum” once Harris chose it.

“I had asked Liz Harris, who is an old friend, if she would sing on this new record of duets. Initially I thought of her for another song but she specifically, although not knowing she had been the inspiration behind it in the first place, asked to be on this one. If the stars ever have aligned… well then,” Stewart explained in a press release.

Oh No tracklist

1. Sad Mezcalita (Sharon Van Etten)
2. I Cannot Resist (Deb Demure / Drab Majesty)
3. The Grifters (Haley Fohr)
4. Goodbye For Good (Greg Saunier / Deerhoof)
5. OH NO (Susanne Sachsse)
6. Rumpus Room (Angus Andrew / Liars)
7. Fuzz Gong Fight (Angela Seo / Xiu Xiu)
8. I Dream of Someone Else Entirely (Owen Pallett)
9. One Hundred Years (Chelsea Wolfe) [The Cure cover]
10. A Classic Screw (Fabrizio Modonese Palumbo)
11. It Bothers Me All the Time (Jonathan Meiburg / Shearwater)
12. Saint Dymphna (George Lewis Jr. / Twin Shadow)
13. Knock Out (Alice Bag)
14. A Bottle of Rum (Liz Harris)
15. ANTS (Valerie Diaz)