XOR is the solo darkwave project of Matthew who is also know as the bassist of the acclaimed post punk band, Secret Shame. XOR (pronounced 'ex or') has already emerged with a series of standalone tracks and EP releases, and is about to unveil a self-titled debut album, expected out on July 23rd, 2021.
“I wanted to start singing again,” the artist comments. “Secret Shame's a guitar-driven band with drums, and I wanted to do something that’s more dancey, more pop, but still had the darker elements.” First single, Path, makes clear that the sound XOR constructs is spot on in relation to his intent. “I wasn't like, I'm gonna write a dark album. That’s just what came out,” Matthew continues on the album which is themed on mental health issues, loss and the weariness of modern society.
Dark synthpop cut, Path, is paired to a fine DIY video, and it arrives thoroughly characteristic of both the sweet pensiveness and the unease which XOR aspires, while it also demonstrates the artist's expertise on synth-based instrumentation, and the construction of an engaging electronic sound.
“A lot of what I listen to in music is the timbres and beats,” Matthew says. “I think that's why I've started nerding out on synths so hard: the control I have for shaping each sound and making each song unique.”
