''Ignore Grief'' is the thirteenth studio album by American

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

band

Xiu Xiu Xiu Xiu ( ) is an American experimental rock band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of multi-instrumentalists Stewart (the only constant member since formation), Angel ...

, released on March 3, 2023, by

Polyvinyl In polymer chemistry, vinyl polymers are a group of polymers derived from substituted vinyl () monomers. Their backbone is an extended alkane chain . In popular usage, "vinyl" refers only to polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Examples Vinyl polymers are ...

. It was written by band leader Jamie Stewart and new member

David Kendrick David Kendrick (born March 23, 1955) is an American musician who is currently a member of the experimental pop band Xiu Xiu. A former member of Gleaming Spires and Devo, he has recorded and toured with Sparks, Andy Prieboy, and Revolushn. He is ...

, who formerly known as the drummer of

Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...

. It was produced by fellow member

Angela Seo Hyunhye Seo, professionally known as Angela Seo, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist best known for her role in American experimental band Xiu Xiu. Seo joined Xiu Xiu in 2009, and has contributed to every studio ...

, and recorded by Stewart at their home studio in Los Angeles, alongside a wide array of guest musicians including Charlie Looker, Ben Chisholm, Ezra Buchla, Patrick Shiroishi and Ian Wellman. The album artwork was designed by Janelle Abad, and depicts a white bat over a black background. ''Ignore Grief'' is a departure from the band's previous album, more in line with the sounds and themes seen in ''

Girl with Basket of Fruit ''Girl with Basket of Fruit'' is the eleventh studio album by American experimental band Xiu Xiu, released on February 8, 2019. It follows the band's 2017 album '' Forget'' and was co-produced by member Angela Seo and Deerhoof's Greg Saunier. The ...

'' (2019). It mainly features a sound that embodies

, industrial, and

modern classical music Contemporary classical music is Western art music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included serial music, elect ...

. Instrumentally, it incorporates orchestral instrumentation including violins,

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

, flutes and piano, in addition to the electronic percussion and synthesizers typically used by the band, as well as a variety of other instruments, including,

gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

s, double reed flute and

found object A found object (a calque from the French ''objet trouvé''), or found art, is art created from undisguised, but often modified, items or products that are not normally considered materials from which art is made, often because they already hav ...

s. Its lyrical content explores life's horrors and human tragedy, dealing with prostitution,

sex trafficking Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Perpetrators of the crime are called sex traffickers or pimps—people who manipulate victims to engage in various forms of commercial sex with paying customers. Se ...

, murder,

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

s and

substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...

, through two halves, one inspired by real stories, and the other one by imaginary ones, sang each by Seo and Stewart. The first single, "Maybae Baeby" was released on January 12, 2023, followed by "Pahrump" on February 15.

Background

''Ignore Grief'' was announced on January 12, 2023, via the band's social media platforms. Regarding the lead single, frontrunner Jamie Stewart said: "In 'Maybae Baeby,' the singer's viewpoint is of a young person hiding in a fantastical conversation with a tarantula in order to escape a physically abusive parent". The album also marks the first project to feature contributions from new member

Composition

Musical style and influences

''Ignore Grief'' departs from the band's previous album, more in line with the sounds and themes seen in ''

'' (2019). It has been described by the band as an

, industrial, and

album.

Lyrics and themes

''Ignore Grief'' is a two-part album with one half depicting the suffering of five people connected to the band, and the other depicting imaginary stories. Lyrically, the album deals with said suffering, and acts as an " abstract exploration of the early

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

' Teen Tragedy' genre", through themes such as

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

s and

. The imaginary songs are written as a way to offer levity to the band, due to the heaviness of the themes discussed. With the "aesthetic examination" of these issues, the band aspires "to see if there is any way to come out the other side or if there is even any reason. In either case there may not be but to simply turn away would be yet a further act of destruction".

Reception

Critical

''Ignore Grief'' received generally favourable reviews from critics. At

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received a score of 80, based on 7 reviews.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from Polyvinyl. Xiu Xiu * Jamie Stewart – vocals, synthesizers,

harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

, percussion, electronic percussion,

double reed A double reed is a type of reed used to produce sound in various wind instruments. In contrast with a single reed instrument, where the instrument is played by channeling air against one piece of cane which vibrates against the mouthpiece and ...

flute, found objects, recording, arrangement *

– vocals, piano, gongs, no-input mixer, percussion,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

– percussion, drums Additional musicians * Charlie Looker – choral vocals *Ben Chisholm – synthesizer, piano, electronic percussion *Ezra Buchla – viola *Patrick Shiroishi – saxophones *Ian Wellman –

field recording Field recording is the production of audio recordings outside recording studios, and the term applies to recordings of both natural and human-produced sounds. It can also include the recording of electromagnetic fields or vibrations using diff ...

s *Andrea Kopecká – violins *Radka Navrátilová – violins *Katrina Musilová – violas *Marie Vlčková – violas *Martina Čermáková – cellos *Jiřina Hájková – cellos *Pavel Kučera –

*Jitka Kašparová – flutes *Marika Nováková – flutes *Dominika Charvátová –

woodwinds Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and re ...

*Sára Štěpánová – woodwinds *Pavlína Vlková – woodwinds *Chris Dostál –

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

*Katrina Lišková – brass *David Zelenka – brass Technical *

Lawrence English Lawrence English (born 1976) is an Australian composer, artist, and curator from Brisbane. His work is broadly concerned with the politics of perception, specifically he is interested in the nature of listening, and sounds' capability to occupy ...

– mixing *Alan Douches – mastering Artwork * Janelle Abad – design

References

{{Xiu Xiu 2023 albums Xiu Xiu albums Polyvinyl Record Co. albums