SEE: XIXA – ‘May They Call Us Home’: where desert rock meets cumbia


Xixa, photographed by Puspa Lohmeyer

COMING atcha suited and booted, dusty with the long ride in from Tucson, AZ, XIXA have released the second single from their forthcoming album, “May They Call Us Home”. You can watch the video herein.

The video was directed by the amazing photographer Charlie Stout and stars fellow traveller across the wide-open landscapes of the borderland deserts, Giant Sand’s Howe Gelb.

XIXA are inspired, nurtured, are consangineous with this landscape, across all the borders. Hear how their latest song evolves from the slow brood of The Gun Club soundtracking a Sergio Leone standoff and heads way, waay south of the border.

“The video was written and directed by our West Texan pal, Charlie Stout, and is a nod to old Western film: featuring six men, dressed in black, and  summoned by a cloaked monk character played by our real-life sonic guru, Howe Gelb,” says  XIXA’s Brian Lopez.

Gabriel Sullivan adds: “The song infuses the tones and landscapes of our Sonoran homeland together with the rhythm and melody that we’ve found in chicha music. It’s us bringing Spanish and English lyrics together. It’s us bringing mysticism and spiritual consciousness together with the earth.

“We’re taking the Peruvian chicha gods to Arizona’s mystic desert landscape”.

“May They Call Us Home” follows the Latin-psych of last month’s “Genesis Of Gaia”, which we took a look at here. Both tracks are taken from Genesis, the band’s second album, which will be out next February via Jullian Records/The Orchard.

Genesis was produced by bandleaders Brian and Gabriel in their own Dust and Stone Recording Studios in Tucson. It continues their exploration of the balance of darkness and chaos versus lightness and beauty, while delving deeper into their admiration for Peruvian chicha.

Last Friday Xixa joined artists, musicians, and organizers to protest against the border wall by taking part in the streamed Rock the Border, Stop the Wall virtual concert, at which they stood shoulder to shoulder with fellow Tucsonan Sergio Mendoza, Black Pumas, Grupo Fantasma, Aloe Blacc and Maya Jupiter to raise awareness around its impacts.

XIXA’s Genesis will be released on Jullian Records/The Orchard on February 19th, 2021, and is available for pre-order now.

Follow Xixa at their website, on Instagram, on Facebook and on Twitter.

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