EP Review: Xul Zolar - 'Nightfalls'
Cologne based indie four-piece Xul Zolar brandish three tracks of post-punk revival soaked excellence on new EP, ‘Nightfalls’ out now via Asmara Records.
Clocking in at just under ten minutes, Xul Zolar’s new three-track EP ‘Nightfalls’ is a dusky and distinctive set of grooves which takes a modern and experimental approach to post punk aesthetics. EP opener, ‘Perfume’ shows off a shimmering, untethered nostalgia-drenched textures, moving with a moody fluidity, featuring colourful splashes of synth, needly hypnotic guitars, intricate percussion and a melancholic vocal made all the more alluring for its despair and despondency, ending on a sonically shrieking sense of foreboding.
’Nightfalls’ opens with woozy off-kilter spacey/psych textures, before rolling into reggae-tinged rhythms offering a dogged new upbeat, warm atmosphere to juxtapose the more familiar atmospheric, brooding post punk formulas at play here as the song shivers with the secrets of the night.
’Your Ways’ rounds the EP off with spiky, punchy arrangements that densely dances with funk influences to juxtapose Vocalist Ronald Röttel’s washed out, emotive vocal. It’s a deeply evocative song caught somewhere between dream and sleep, reality and fantasy and its playfulness has a visceral kick that hits hardest on the intriguing instrumental breaks, ultimately leaving its listener feeling mellowed out despite the melancholia in the vocal.
’Nightfalls’ sees Xul Zolar push the boundaries of post punk revival, creating a sound that wallows and wails and whispers with familiarity, while bringing something new to the the table. It’s an explorative EP with an avant-garde soul and a flare for thrilling aesthetics that tackles the themes of fears, anxieties, loss, intimacy and trust. While open to interpretation, for me, it’s a reminder that we as humans are capable of tackling unknown entities and that how we maintain connections to others and to ourselves is crucial to us either flourishing or falling apart. It makes you think about the things that keep you up at night, and how what the darkness mutters to you in the dead of night can either heal you or hold you back. Your choice.
Words of Karla Harris
In support of the 'Nightfalls' EP, Xul Zolar will be taking their live show to the road with dates throughout Germany, listed below.
German Tour:
25.09. - Köln - Bumann & Sohn
26.09. - Darmstadt - Schlosskeller
27.09. - Nürnberg - Club Stereo
28.09. - München - Heppel & Ettlich
29.09. - St. Gallen - Grabenhalle
02.10. - Berlin - Berghain Kantine
03.10. - Dresden - Groovestation
04.10. - Leipzig - Moritzbastei
05.10. - Hamburg - Nachtasyl
10.10. - Göttingen - Freihafen
11.10. - Frankfurt - Lotte Lindenberg