- 2025-01-09
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MUSIC
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XIXA Announces New Album “XOLO”, Shares New Song “Xolo de Galáxia”
Tucson-based rock band XIXA, consisting of Brian Lopez (vocals/guitar), Gabriel Sullivan (vocals/guitar/drums), Efrén Cruz Chavez (percussion) and Jason Urman (keyboards), is back.
The band has announced their third studio album “XOLO” will be released on March 21, 2025 via Jullian Records.
It is their first original album in four years since the 2021 album “Genesis”. (The band released the acoustic version of “Genesis”, entitled “Road Beyond the Valley” in 2022.)
From the album, the band released the first single called “Xolo de Galáxia” on January 8, 2025.
The song featured Mona Chambers as guest vocals. It is a classic cumbia ballad and chronicles the story of a young girl, Arcoiris, and her cosmic canine companion, El Xolo, as they traverse through the underworld of Mictlán.
The track was written by Brian Christopher Alexander Lopez, Gabriel John Sullivan, and Jason Allen Urman. Produced by Gabriel Sullivan and Brian Lopez.- The band said of the song, “A very celebratory song. Praising the wisdom of this Mexican hairless dog that knows the lands of the underworlds and fearlessly guides Arcoiris through them. We have Mona Chambers (who's voice sonically represents Arocoiris through the album) singing with us in the chorus which I think only adds to how grateful she is for the Xolo.”
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The new album comprises 9 songs, featuring guest appearances from Mona Chambers and Modern English, produced by Gabriel Sullivan and Brian Lopez.
XOLO refers to the breed of Mexican hairless dog, Xoloitzcuintli, sacred in Mayan and Aztec cultures as guides through Mictlán. The record loosely tells the story of Arcoiris and her journey through all nine levels of Mictlán, guided by her sacred protector, El Xolo.
The band expands on their mystic, psychedelic rock, reaching more into their Latin influences to create a musical and lyrical narrative, exploring both a mythic journey and what messages it might have for today.
The band lead singer Brian Lopez said of the album, “When we get together, we push toward these themes-good & evil, isolation & escape, fear & love, despair & hope. There's a lot of intention in this album-it's almost like a musical.”
Background photo by Julius Schlosburg - source : Apple Music
