IN MARKO'S WORDS:

Look who’s back. 

I know, it’s surprising for us too. 

After finishing the Alchemy Series back in 2014, I felt more than anything that XP8 had said all that we could say. I didn’t feel there was anything else XP8 could do that was meaningful enough for me, for our audience out there, and the world at large, to justify the hard work that keeping a project like ours required.
That did not mean stopping making music though… I mean, I don’t think I can even contemplate the idea of living without making music, but I rediscovered the joy of jamming for the sake of it: creation that serves its purpose of keeping me sane, but that is meant to dissolve the moment I powered down my kit.

In the meantime, the scene did die.

At least “our” scene did. And not just because of COVID-19. I wish I could say I miss it, the gigs, club nights, the festivals, but I have to be honest with you: I don’t think I do. I might miss the amazing, the cool, the downright weird, and even some of the horrible people we met along the way, but Marco and I are no longer the kind of people you want to jump around as XP8. Today, if we were even allowed to go to a club night, I’d feel too much like a tourist. I don’t want us to be “those guys”.

And then, of course, the annus horribilis happened, and funnily enough meant that Marco and I managed to stay in touch more that we did when we lived in the same city. “Distance makes the heart grow fonder” and all that crap.
And that got us talking.
And that got us thinking.
And that made us make realise we were approaching the 20th anniversary of XP8’s inception and it probably did deserve a little celebration.

And here we are: TWENTY is that little celebration.
Two songs only: “Back To Light”, written Marco, is this the kind of “open heart surgery synthpop” song that I wish I could still write and not feel like a cheat. But don’t get me wrong, I was delighted to sing it, and I think it’s better than a lot of songs we released in the past.

“Lockdown Logic” is my attempt of exorcising some demons through the power of 50Hz sub-kick and syncopated grooves, but just not my personal demons this time. The pressure-cooker environment of repeated lockdowns meant that a lot of us could no longer escape the anxiety and fear we always keep at arm’s length. The abyss was free to stare back. If it makes you dance and relax your shoulders, forget about your anti-bac hand gel, your mask, fucking anti vaxers, and 5G c**tspiracy theorists, then it’s doing its job.

And so, here we are: we aren’t really back. But we wanted to share our music with you all.
One last time. 

Marko Resurreccion
4 June 2021