XO - Heart LP

Label: Equal Vision Records

With their debut full-length album Heart, indie shoegaze rockers duo XO — comprised of Say Anything guitarists/vocalists Jake and Jeff Turner — make a clean-cut departure from Say Anything’s popular upbeat sound and create what they call “a more cerebral experience” by placing emphasis on musical experience rather than lyrics.

And that’s exactly what XO do with Heart. The brief instrumental intro establishes the album’s tone, setting the pace for unique, heavy instrumentals that remain the focus throughout all eleven tracks. An interesting aspect to the album is that each track title is one word, either an adjective or noun that could describe the heart and/or its state of being. The album’s closing title track lacks any lyrics and is strictly instrumental, which once again emphasizes XO’s focus on the experience of sound.

Heart is an album created for listeners who want to let go and experience something new and magical without getting tangled up in words. So grab some headphones or hop in your car with the windows down because it’s a unique experience you don’t want to miss.