HXXS

HXXS fuse post-punk tension with harsh electronic textures to push contemporary anxiety into bizarre territory across their output, such as the 2019 debut full-length Year of the Witch. The project, whose name is spoken as "hexes," originated in Portland, Oregon. There, Gavin Neves pursued solo musical endeavors until encountering Jeannie Colleene. Once the pair formed a romantic relationship, they soon transitioned into artistic collaborators whose sonic explorations shifted from conventional guitar-and-drums setups toward jagged, distorted electronic sounds. Within months of commencing their joint work, the group relocated to California—the state of origin for both members, with Neves hailing from San Jose and Colleene from Bakersfield. The darker aspects of the region's landscape shaped their initial recordings, the 2017 release Valley Fever. Following their signing with Captured Tracks, the pair issued the MKDRONE EP. Their first proper album, tracked alongside Liars' Angus Andrew inside a San Jose warehouse adjacent to an adult film facility, came out in December 2018. After thieves made off with the hard drive containing material for what would become their debut album—tracked by Neves and Colleene over a half-year of touring—HXXS reconstructed the tracks from recollection, aided by TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone. The outcome, Year of the Witch, expanded upon the duo's glitch-infused approach and saw release via Captured Tracks in October 2019.