Swedish powerviolence band Xiao have been ripping it up for a while now, forming in 2019 and releasing a handful of EPs and promos in the time since (check out 2023’s Burn) and now they’re primed to drop their first full-length, Control. It’s a pretty no-frills, straight-to-the-face affair, drawing from the best parts of powerviolence, classic hardcore and a shot of D-beat.
Though it isn’t out until May 2, Decibel has an early premiere of Control‘s title track. Mixing the band’s punchy sound with incendiary political lyrics (“My country’s for sale / Everything can be bought / Low prices to stay free / What we built is gone”), it’s a good idea of what to expect on the rest of Control.
The song’s message speaks directly to the state of Swedish politics, but it’s something that Americans and those anywhere else in the world can undoubtedly relate to:
“This is a song about what has-been Social Democrat Håkan Juholt calls Klägget, ‘The Goo,’” explains guitarist Daniel Pilsäter. “In Sweden, politicians and policy makers are free to pave the way for the future consultant career, and break down the framework of Swedish social politics created trough the 1900s. I had been sitting on the opening bar of music for years, and finally found a way to finish the song. It also features our first proper guitar solo.”
Control is out on May 2 via Twelve Gauge Records. Pre-orders go live at 9am on March 7, and can be found here for the US and here for Europe.
