All XS give us perky synth pop, early British house and minimal electronic music as the foundation, add a dash of token classical embellishments, and all topped with vocal melodies influenced by the styles of R'n'B. The result? A whole new unique audio experience free from generic constraints.
AII XS is the project of four musically inclined individuals not only coming full circle, but in doing so challenge the notion of pigeon caging musical groups to genres and songs to standard structures. Their debut album "Soma Fortuna United", combines the strengths of all four members, Niklas Settler, Nabyla Serag, Moritz Stettler and Melanie Zwahlen, and their other musical outfits all entrapped into 10 full realised songs all self produced and recorded in Bern, Switzerland.
The album is a modern juxtaposition of feel good synth tunes painted over deep lyrics cleanly woven together to detail two polar opposites of modern youth in western culture. On one hand, social youths of western society spend their weekends actively avoiding the qualms of 'real life' by partying and busying themselves with a search of the next big societal fad. The result can often lead to a monotonous life of the 21st century, which is explored in first released single, "Millennials". True to it's name, "Millennials" opens with 90's drum beats but takes a swift unexpected turn by incorporating Ethiopian percussion elements and features underground UK grime rapper Movements, and lyrics blatantly alluding to the silver spoon lifestyle 'We're the kids collecting trophies, expecting things.'
On the other hand and end of the spectrum the lyrics explore a self reflection of the comfortable life handed to you in Switzerland. You are free to do what you will with the luxurious life handed to you on a silver platter, but does anyone take advantage of what appears to be the norm? The lyric within "Soft as Ice" explore this idea of complacency and unwillingness to set outside of ones comfort zone, 'From the bubble we're in we see the rain strike down, all we care 'bout is out lovely life'.
