Through the brooding, electric clouds and bubbling synths of her debut single ‘Chief of Tin’ – produced by Sam Dust aka LA Priest – we are welcomed into Xenoula’s enthralling world.
The video sees Xenoula emerge from a spherical pod – once her home, before pollutants turned the pearl-white liquid surrounding Xenoula into muddy, corrosive oil – and explore the surrounding rainforest.
Xenoula is Romy Xeno; Romy spent her early years in South Africa where she was influenced by the elemental songs of nearby villagers and the tranquil rhythms of nature. Here she developed an introspective affinity with flora and fauna rather than with man and machines.
When Romy moved back to the UK at the age of 16, the culture shock and collision of two contrasting worlds inspired her to make music as a way of communicating her feelings about her new surroundings to the crowds of people she instinctively shied away from.
For Romy, Xenoula is an exploration of nature and human contradictions. The music is infused with memories of her childhood in South Africa, her experiences in the sprawling cities of Europe and with the realm of the ethereal and mysterious. Recently retreating to the quieter climes of north Wales, Romy has forged the sounds of Xenoula.