Always by Xiu Xiu

Always is the eighth studio album by Xiu Xiu, released on February 28, 2012. Always saw the return of Devin Hoff to Xiu Xiu's lineup. The album was produced by Deerhoof's Greg Saunier and mixed by John Congleton. The songs "Beauty Towne" and "Black Drum Machine" revisited subjects from earlier Xiu Xiu songs. "Beauty Towne" revisited the subjects of "Clowne Towne," while "Black Drum Machine" finished the narrative to "Black Keyboard. "Joey's Song" was dedicated to Jamie Stewart's brother, while "Gul Mudin" was dedicated to the title person. "The Oldness" and "Chimneys Afire" were written by a band member Stewart fired, with the latter song about the author's attempted suicide during Xiu Xiu's tour. "Hi" is "about trying to find beauty and company in the realization that life, for the most part in incredibly difficult and that pretending otherwise only adds disappointment to hardship," while "Born to Suffer" is "about the potential for relief in ending one's own life, even just the thought of it, being mortified by life and about the earthquake in Haiti. The songs on Always also contained some social commentary. "I Luv Abortion" is about a young friend of Stewart's who decided to get an abortion because she felt she would not be a good parent if she had the baby, and most of the song's lyrics are taken from a series of e-mails between the two. "Factory Girl" is about the migration of women in China from rural areas to factories, and the harsh treatment they received working in the factories. ℗ 2012 Polyvinyl Record Co.