- Themes of duality, rebirth and metamorphosis inform this thrilling experimental club debut LP.
- Vietnamese-Canadian artist x/o has a thing for palindromes, and the butterfly, with its beautifully mirrored wings, is the perfect natural representation of a palindrome. Chaos Butterfly, the producer, vocalist and filmmaker's debut album, was originally schedule for release on the palindromic date 02/22/22, and explores themes of metamorphosis, rebirth and gender. The sleeve artwork features a butterfly composed of sharply contrasting textures, set against tree branches, concrete, handwriting and water. With its distinctly '00s emo-feel, the evocative cover gives you an idea of the nu-metal and trip-hop influenced, experimental-leaning sounds within.
Split into two acts, Chaos Butterfly has a distinct prologue and epilogue. "Chrysalis Wrath" is the beginning of a journey that follows the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into an angsty butterfly via intense, bass-heavy sonics. At parts, I'm getting vintage Linkin Park, as speedcore, hardstyle and nu-metal battle it out with emo-punk whispers on tracks like "Promise Armour."
The stark, cinematic opening section of "Red Alert" is pure Hybrid Theory. This one features haunting Evanescence-style vocals and jungle-influenced percussion, with an amber-hued music video that looks like a cross between an Olafur Eliasson exhibition and a moody scene from Dune. But beyond all the flashy, stylized touches, x/o's reverb-drenched vocals—"This is my warning / Sense the signs within / Bright as fire burning / This is my red alert"—are poignant, almost haunting.
This is a multi-dimensional release. There are brief but head-turning moments of ambience on tracks like "Mirror Shard Phoenix Down," before something blossoms—or erupts—into pure pandemonium. Trip-hop drums and insectoid vocals take center stage on more introspective tracks like "Indigo Drop" or "Fight Or Flight," while distorted metal, breakbeats and Eurodance themes take over elsewhere, laying the foundations for a full-throttle rave. It's easy to imagine "Hea11ing Ca11" woven into an adventurous DJ set from peers like Mechatok or Nídia, while "Final Wingspan," somewhere between subversive pop and techno, is the perfectly strange brew you' hope to hear at a PC Music night, or maybe Evian Christ's Trance Party.
Anime, film and video games play a big part in Chaos Butterfly's sound and aesthetic—it references Final Fantasy X, Fight Club, the half-yoma warriors in Claymore and the Vietnamese legend of the Trưng Sisters, who are considered symbolic heroines of the country's long struggle for independence. It's a personal but wide-ranging set of cultural touchpoints that offers something everyone can understand, from history buffs to emo kids. In its tale of the butterfly, the LP symbolizes rebirth and and transformation, and a butterfly's short but poetic life is a real-world metaphor for the process of intense human change. Chaos Butterfly meant to retell x/o's journey towards realizing their non-binary identity. Whether they're world-building or making worlds collide, the results are cataclysmic.
Tracklist01. Chrysalis Wrath
02. Red Alert
03. Indigo Drop
04. Promise : Armour
05. Initiation Relic
06. Locking In
07. Fight Or Flight
08. Cyclone Scream
09. Mirror Shard, Phoenix Down
10. Final Wingspan
11. Hea11ng Ca11