We have all been there, completely fed up and in the mood to rage. Well, providing the perfect soundtrack for those times is experimental duo XVOTO with their debut self-titled EP “XVOTO”. Inherently chaotic in nature, artists Jazz Alonso and Saigon Fury fuse their wild imaginations and diverse musical talents to offer tracks drenched in attitude-filled bars, pulsating beats and textured production clashing with ethereal vocals and patches of instrumentation. With no second in each track the same, the EP is a true musical experience that will throw listeners into the depths of trap, pop, rap and all of the genres in between.

“I demoed everything as basic and bare-boned as possible. Then Jazz and I would spend days and nights working out different hooks and different places we could take the songs. Once we were happy with the demos we spent a month in the studio recreating everything from scratch and I tried to distort and deform stuff as much as possible so that they would feel raw and guttural,” explains Saigon when speaking on the EP.

And, accompanying the wildly diverse tracks is a set of visuals, helmed by Thomas Rawle (Thiing Studios), that make previous projects from the likes of Brockhampton and Tyler, The Creator seem subdued in nature. Fever dream scenes and flashing neon lights only further the bizarre yet unique project, allowing the artists to further establish their place in the industry. With tracks such as “Brainfreeze” and ”Friends” lacing the duo’s debut offering and the pair revealing work unlike anything else currently on the market as well as an upcoming video game, it can be said with confidence that XVOTO are set to skyrocket to the heights of creative success.

Check out our interview with XVOTO below…

Hey guys! We are halfway through the year almost, how has it been so far?
Saigon: I’m a bit concerned about the UFO sightings released by the pentagon, I’ve got a feeling the galactic federation is about to reveal itself.
Jazz: The piñata is bursting, slowly but surely.

With everything that happened last year do you think your creativity has been affected?
Saigon: Not really, if anything I feel more focused than ever. This year I’ve done more things than I’ve ever done before.
Jazz: I am more aware of how my inner world is mirrored by the world around me. Because this was a serious year, I have started to take my emotions more seriously as well. So though I might not have more to write about than usual, I am at least coming to terms with being more passionate and honest when I do.

How did you guys meet and what sparked the interest in music?
Saigon: We randomly met in a McDonalds and I knew straight away that Jazz was a special person and I felt compelled to do creative things with her.
Jazz: When we started hanging out, I asked Saigon if he’d want to write a song for fun with me and the second song we did was “Mommy Can’t Sleep” so we figured we should keep exploring.

London is a huge melting pop of music and culture, do you think growing up here impacted your sound?
Saigon: I grew up between Ho Chi Minh and Paris, so I don’t think the UK has influenced me that much other than the music scene. My Vietnamese blood is what I take most inspiration from, I love sampling old Vietnamese field recordings from the 60s.
Jazz: I had a weird childhood moving between Madrid, Düsseldorf and Essex every 2 to 3 years, so I guess that’s influenced me in the sense that I like change and I don’t really feel a part of a culture in any definitive way. I’ve almost been in London for 6 years now and it might be starting to define me too much, it might be time to move again.

Congratulations on your debut EP, talk us through your mindset approaching the project?
Saigon: I demoed everything as basic and bare-boned as possible. Then Jazz and I would spend days and nights working out different hooks and different places we could take the songs. Once we were happy with the demos we spent a month in the studio recreating everything from scratch and I tried to distort and deform stuff as much as possible so that they would feel raw and guttural.
Jazz: Because I had just started writing music I wanted to challenge myself by not writing about love and not doing anything that felt too comfortable. So my main intention was to discover and display my emotional landscape in all its plateaus and potholes.

Your sound is very experimental and genre-blurring, what do you want people to take away from your music?
Saigon: I don’t want anything, I just want them to have a good time.
Jazz: I hope it can help people who might be going through some of the same things I did.

Looking back on the project, what is your favourite song? Which one means the most to you?
Saigon: “XOXO”, it’s pure 100% uncut raw aggression.
Jazz: For ages, it was “Friends” but now that it’s been released I like the secret songs.

Where do you guys look for your inspiration?
Saigon: It’s usually what I’ve listened to that morning, that tends to get me excited and inspired me for the day. It can be anything from Penderecki to Duke Ellington’s suites.
Jazz: I really like having books around me. If I don’t know what to write about I open something I think will push me and teleport my brain somewhere. Anything from books about forensic anthropology to Lorca’s Romancero Gitano.

What’s next for you guys? What are you most excited for?
We’re doing an EP release party, dropping a video game and will hopefully do a show in the upcoming weeks. So there’s a lot to look forward to.