XIX

Connecticut duo XIX first came together in Meriden, where Yung Skayda and Karm the Tool began fusing cloud rap, metal, and punk into a single, unruly style. Since issuing their debut album Pajamas in 2018, the pair has turned out a steady stream of abrasive, high-impact tracks. Their 2019 Valyntynes Day EP and a series of standalone singles marked a gradual shift toward emo and pop textures. The 2020 single “Kismet” pushed that evolution further by adopting the tightly compressed, bitcrushed production typical of glitchcore; the track quickly spread across TikTok. After signing with Masked Records/Warner Records, the duo released the EP 19 in the same aesthetic and appeared on CMTEN’s “I Love Glitchcore.” Rebranding as WHOKILLEDXIX, they delivered the more reflective Fall Damage EP in 2021, which featured Benkro on the single “Toxic.” The group’s gleefully chaotic punk-rap has found particular favor among hyperpop and glitchcore listeners.