Tucson’s XIXA Travel to the Aztec Underworld on ‘XOLO’ » PopMatters

Psychedelic rockers XIXA introduce XOLO‘s key narrative, accompanied by what sounds like the soundtrack of an action-packed Western film.

XOLO XIXA Jullian Records 21 March 2025

The latest album from Tucson, Arizona-based rock group XIXA (each “x” sounds like a “ch”) is an intentionally dramatic outing. Over nine tracks, XOLO tells the tale of Arcoiris, a young girl guided by Xolo, a hairless Xoloitzcuintli dog, through the nine levels of Mictlān, the nine-level underworld of Aztec cosmology.

It’s a perfect story for XIXA, a band whose music has long drawn on styles and lore from across Latin America, where founders Brian López and Gabriel Sullivan locate their roots. Chica, cumbia, and psychedelia expand the band’s palette beyond their Sonoran foundations. That dynamism is XOLO’s key strength.

First track “Xoloitzcuintli” hits the ground running. Joined by Mona Chambers, whose dulcet tones sound the presence of Arcoiris occasionally over XOLO, XIXA introduce their record’s key narrative, accompanied by what sounds like the soundtrack of an action-packed Western film. Sullivan’s and López’s guitars are the most prominent elements throughout, but Efrén Cruz Chavez’s bongos are at least as crucial in orienting the audience with sounds from south of Sonora. It’s a raucous and informative prologue, a truly theatrical opening number.

The rest of the LP is less rambunctious. In “Find You There”, Sullivan drops into a Mark Lanegan-adjacent register, his wistful crooning adding grit to a song accented with acoustic strings. “Apanoayan” is another plot-heavy piece, midtempo and determined. “Xolo de Galáxia” praises the titular dog’s good work in psychedelic hymn form; the chicha of “Arcoiris” is equally mind-bending.

Accordions and a steady low end bring a classic cumbia feel to “La Danza De Los Jaguares”. Sullivan leads the way again on melancholy “Waves of Serenity”, which fades into the monumental finale: “Heart of the World”, an uplifting and midtempo end to the story that closes with Chambers as a tranquil Arcoiris: “El Xolo has delivered me home / The darkness has succumbed to light.” It’s a sweet resolution.

This list of interconnected tracks indicates that XOLO is not meant to be taken in fragments. As with any truly strict concept album, few tracks can stand alone. In XOLO, the only truly complete song is “It Doesn’t Matter”, which sits in the middle of the tracklist. Featuring original Modern English members Robbie Grey and Mick Conroy, it spreads a shadowy veil of synths and beats over lonesome guitars. The result is a gorgeous Southwestern US take on gloomy 1980s darkwave, a ballad thematically broad enough to serve as an emotional pause for Arcoiris and Xolo or to hold their own outside the album’s main plot. 

When a record is locked into a single story, it can be a tough sell to listeners who don’t have the bandwidth to sit and focus on their listening experience. The payoff lies in XIXA’s versatility. It’s a sonically cohesive album but makes enough stylistic moves to earn its audience’s attention. The story at its center is worthwhile, well-balanced between tenderness and adventure. In short, there’s a lot to enjoy on XOLO, and the more attention you give it, the more joy you’ll get out of it.