So Xiu Xiu have announced a new 7-inch, which obviously means there are limited edition t-shirts with Jamie Stewart’s blood and hand-numbered packets of fecal matter sent out, right? Wrong. This time, there’s nothing tangibly related to bodily functions accompanying the single, though it’s not without its share of surprises. To make up for the physical lack of corporeal flourishes, the A-side, “Daphny,” is based on a devastating true story in which Jamie’s friend was arrested for shoplifting an Xbox and was then raped in custody by a police officer. Pretty brutal, even in Xiu Xiu’s scope. Zac Pennington (Parenthetical Girls) and Sam Mickens (The Dead Science) co-wrote the song with Jamie Stewart, their first writing collaboration since Pennington and Mickens officially joined Xiu Xiu earlier this year.
If you thought “Daphny” packs a punch to the gut, wait till you hear the B-side: a cover of Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World)” — nearly the most perfect pairing since Chardonnay and gruyère cheese (think about it: it works wonders). Only 1,000 copies of the 7-inch (pressed on light blue vinyl) will be available from Polyvinyl Records come September 6, but you can listen to both tracks over at Pitchfork now (or better yet, preorder your copy here). Once you have the record in hand, if you’re somehow embarrassed about buying a Rihanna cover, you can just tell friends the 7-inch is a tribute to N.W.A. (re: the explicit cop-bashing artwork).
Xiu Xiu have also announced tourdates with the new lineup, beginning a massive sweep of Eastern Europe before returning to the States in September. Finally, you can see Stewart, Seo, Pennington, and Mickens officially united under one name, just as you thought should happen years ago!
Tourdates:
07.29.11 - Kosice, Slovakia - Momento More Festival
07.30.11 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Subclub
07.31.11 - Kutna Hora, Czech Republic - Creepy Teepee Festival
08.01.11 - Dresden, Germany - Groove Station
08.04.11 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Za! Ozhidaniya
08.05.11 - Riga, Latvia - Dirty Deal Cafe
08.06.11 - Katowice, Poland - OfF Festival
08.07.11 - Zilina, Slovakia - Stanica
08.09.11 - Dubrovnik, Croatia - Klub Orlando
08.11.11 - Budapest, Hungary - Sziget Festival
09.08.11 - Raleigh, NC - Hopscotch Music Festival
09.09.11 - Asheville, NC - The Gray Eagle *
09.10.11 - Charlottesville, VA - Southern *
09.11.11 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery *
09.12.11 - Pittsburgh, PA - Alter *
09.13.11 - Wilkes Barre, PA - Redwood Art Space *
09.14.11 - Hartford, CT - Wadsworth Museum *
09.15.11 - Ithaca, NY - The Haunt *
09.16.11 - Buffalo, NY - Mohawk *
09.17.11 - Rochester, NY - Dubland Underground *
09.18.11 - Cleveland, OH - Happy Dog *
09.20.11 - Detroit, MI - Pike Room *
09.21.11 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme *
09.22.11 - Louisville, KY - Zanzabar *
09.23.11 - Cincinnati, OH - Midpoint Music Festival
09.24.11 - Urbana, IL - Pygmalion Festival
* Kindest Lines
• Xiu Xiu: http://xiuxiu.org
• Polyvinyl: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com