Is it just me or is everyone moving to Berlin these days? Case in point: Xiu Xiu, whose recent relocation there from Los Angeles served as a major motivator behind their new album 13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn Grips, out in September. The experimental stalwarts are previewing the record with its lead single “Common Loon,” which arrives alongside a very NSFW video.

13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn Grips (how are we abbreviating this, folks?) is billed as Xiu Xiu’s “most compelling and mesmerizing music to date.” It was mixed by John Congleton and follows last year’s Ignore Grief. “Common Loon” has a bit of a triumphant feel to it, marked by arpeggiated electric guitars, a steady chugging beat, and Jamie Stewart’s ominous vocals.

Its video was shot, directed, and edited by performance artist Alicia McDaid. McDaid also stars in the video as a slew of characters, including, but not limited to: Britney Spears, Smurfette, Anna Nicole Smith Joker, Led Zeppelin groupie, Jason Voorhees, Frida Kardashian, goth Monica Geller, Carmela Soprano, Bret Michaels, and Andy Warhol. Stewart says:

The song “Common Loon,” for us, is about reveling in perversity, cuckooness, queerness and/or the unquenchable personal requirement to wild out. As MASSIVE fans of Alicia McDazzler’s [McDaid] work, we could think of no one else more qualified to embody those ways of being and no one else who would crank them up further than we would have ever imagined. She is an inspiration and icon to all LOONS!

You can watch the video for “Common Loon” below, or go here to watch an uncensored version if you’re feeling extra bold. Xiu Xiu are also going on tour later this year, and you can see those dates below, too.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Arp Omni”
02 “Maestro One Chord”
03 “Common Loon”
04 “Pale Flower”
05 “Veneficium”
06 “Sleep Blvd.”
07 “T.D.F.T.W.”
08 “Bobby Bland”
09 “Piña, Coconut & Cherry”

TOUR DATES:
09/20 – Reno, NV @ The Holland Project
09/21 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club
09/22 – Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
09/23 – Portland, OR @ Holocene
09/24 – Arcata, CA @ The Miniplex
09/26 – San Diego, CA @ The Loft at UCSD
09/27 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
09/28 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
09/30 – Austin, TX @ The Parish
10/02 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
10/03 – New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
10/05 – Orlando, FL @ Conduit
10/06 – Miami, FL @ Gramps
10/07 – Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
10/08 – Savannah, GA @ Lodge Of Sorrows
10/09 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/10 – Durham, NC @ TBA
10/11 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
10/13 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro
10/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMoca
10/15 – New York, NY @ LPR
10/16 – Providence, RI @ AS220 Live Arts
10/17 – Portland, ME @ Space Gallery
10/18 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmont
10/19 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
10/20 – Columbus, OH @ Ace Of Cups
10/21 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
10/22 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
10/23 – Des Moines, IA @ xBk
10/24 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
10/26 – Fort Collins, CO @ The Coast
10/27 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/29 – San Francisco, CA @ Gray Area Foundation for the Arts
10/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Lodge Room
11/08 – Groeningen, Netherlands @ Vera
11/09 – Den Bosch, Netherlands @ FAQ Festival
11/10 – Rotterdam, Netherlands @ De Doelen
11/11 – Brussels, Belgium @ La Botanique
11/13 – Bristol, UK @ Strange Brew
11/14 – Brighton, UK @ Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (ACCA)
11/15 – Stockport, UK @ St Mary’s
11/16 – Glasgow, UK @ Room 2 Cottiers
11/17 – Oxford, UK @ The Bullingdon
11/19 – London, UK @ Heaven
11/20 – Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach
11/22 – Brest, France @ Festival Invisible
11/23 – Paris, France @ Hasard Ludique
11/25 – Grenoble, France @ Le Ciel
11/27 – Nurnberg, Germany @ Soft Spot / Kantine
11/28 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Meet Factory
11/29 – Berlin, Germany @ Lido
11/30 – Poznań, Poland @ Próżność
05/17 – Seattle WA @ Moore Theatre
05/18 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre

13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn Grips is out 9/27 via Polyvinyl.