XAM Duo - XAM Duo II (2022) Hi-Res

Yorkshire-based pair XAM Duo by Matthew Benn and Christopher Duffin has released a new album following their acclaimed 2016 self-titled debut. Over the last few years, they have collaborated with Virginia Wing to release the fun single “Tisch Tennis” and have performed live with Stereolab, Sonic Boom, Michael Rother to Jessy Lanza, The Necks and Anna Meredith. They are also members of Holodrum, a band formed from the wreckage of Hookworms and releasing their debut album earlier this year. Despite being produced over five years, the XAM Duo II is much more concise than its debut, and is less than 30 minutes long. It makes full use of saxophone, tape chords, Rhodes piano, synthesizer, and accurate and intentional sequences and punchy synth tones. With a digital approach, it may feel cold and processed, but on the contrary, it's warm and natural. This is reflected in the impressive artwork by longtime collaborator Jonathan Wilkinson. This artwork comes from a series of prints inspired by his hike through the Calder Valley in West Yorkshire. Three of the six songs on the album are named after the episode of The Sopranos.