And now they stand ready to take the next step, to follow, as guitarist and singer Brian Lopez puts it, "the sonic thread woven through our mutual admiration for Peruvian chicha and our roots as songwriters and storytellers." The Code EP hones in on those elements that resonate most in their earlier works and discards those that didn't, a distillation of what makes the XIXA sound so unique. "It's the beginning of a sonic and visual effort that best defines what we consider to be The New Southwest," adds Lopez.
Then there's the tumbling rhythms and underworld carnival spirit of the title track, a rollicking psychedelic ride guided by some smirking, malevolent demon. "I hear him everyday / But I cannot speak his name", growls Sullivan as the band gallop away in a frenzy. It's XIXA at their potent, eclectic best, stretching out to their past to pave the way to the future. "The Code is a record of language, mysticism, magick, desert," says Sullivan. "It is our language." Crack it if you dare.