XIAO

Xiao are a Stockholm hardcore band who started out with a powerviolence-heavy sound and have since pushed further into punk, D-beat and metallic hardcore.

Their debut album Control packs short, fast attacks with stomping riffs and bursts of dissonance, while vocalist Emelie Johannesson delivers confrontational lyrics that address political corruption and the erosion of Sweden’s social welfare system. The result is more than aggression for its own sake: the music is direct and physical, but it also has a clear sense of what it is angry about.

After extensive touring across Europe and a first US run, Xiao have made Control a strong statement of intent.