Track by Track: x/o ‘Chaos Butterfly’
The artist breaks the albums’ cocoon open, confronting binaries and trauma.
‘Chaos Butterfly’ is a very special species created by Vietnamese-Canadian electronic music producer, vocalist and filmmaker, x/o. The album, a follow-up to the 2018 debut ‘cocoon egg’, tears through any protective layers and let us see the naked creation, vulnerable and struggling, as just left the womb. It’s an emotional voyage. Inspired by a fluctuating mix of Final Fantasy X worlds, Fight Club and warriors from Claymore, x/o moulded their private inner battlefield on the breakthrough of hard-hitting and ethereal.
From facing the ‘Chrysalis Wrath’ to ‘Hea11ng Ca11’, we witness fall and resurrection on a phoenix-like scale. x/o throws their shattered guts into our eyes and feeds our ears with car-crashing clashing sounds. The gift for endurance is a promise of existing in the present. Sometimes that’s all we need to hear when lost in time-space. Here’s the guide on how to get back, exclusively by x/o.
Chrysalis Wrath
The prologue foreshadows a familiar soft, introverted, energy of a chrysalis that is overtaken by the darker, and more aggressive energy of chaos. This story takes place in a world parallel to cocoon egg.
Red Alert
Plagued by the shadows of past hauntings and emotional baggage, one begins to look for red flags and patterns.
Indigo Drop
Through this, one’s grief is broken down piece by piece in an attempt to move forward.
Promise: Armour
Through the processing of emotions, one creates a thick armour. The hardiness of the metal provides cathartic expressions of anger while it shields and protects an inner vulnerability.
Initiation Relic
A long and difficult journey awaits yet one searches for a key relic to begin moving towards change.
Locking In
To prepare for battle, one gathers energy, hones in focus, sharpens tools, and prepares the gear.
Fight or Flight
Resolve lights a fire within the soul, as one’s determination blazes through to confront the dark shadows.
Cyclone Scream
The name of a special power move, the Cyclone Scream is unleashed: the fluttering of wings builds a powerful cyclone with the sound of a thousand screams.
Mirror Shard, Phoenix Down
One is unable to defeat Darkness the final boss, the prevailing feeling of failure overwhelms as one falls back into the shadowy depths. However, in the last moment of reflection, a small glimmer of hope appears. An inner “phoenix down” revives us one more time…
Final Wingspan
Rays of light burst from within and a powerful transformation occurs. This is one’s chance for redemption against the final boss.
Hea11ng Ca11
The battle has ended, and a hopeful peace is newly found. Although one is unsure of what the future may hold, for now, we’re present in the moment.
Stream ‘Chaos Butterfly’ here.