B-Side Guys

Music occasionally arrives from unexpected coordinates. Athens quartet XOAN—self-described creators of “supermassive hits for alternate realities”—delivers precisely this disorienting pleasure on “High Underwater,” a single that exists at the fascinating intersection of raw band dynamics and contemporary production techniques.

The track opens with immediate emotional confrontation: “Someone else’s happiness is right up in my face again.” This declaration of comparative despair establishes the song’s psychological landscape—a headspace where others’ joy becomes an inadvertent weapon. The question that follows—”Could we lose the tension?”—functions as both plea and impossibility, establishing the central conflict that drives the narrative.

What distinguishes “High Underwater” from similar explorations of emotional struggle is its refusal to provide easy resolution. Instead, XOAN creates a soundscape that mirrors the psychic turbulence depicted in the lyrics. The production balances atmospheric elements with grounded instrumentation, creating productive tension between ethereal and concrete sounds—the musical equivalent of the disorientation suggested by the title.

The recurring refrain “Could be right or could be fatal, just go on with it” captures modern existential exhaustion with devastating precision. This mantra of uncertain forward movement speaks to a generation navigating without clear markers of success or progress. When paired with images of being “face down in the bathroom” and the directive to “drive into the water,” these moments suggest the dangerous allure of surrender without explicitly embracing it.

Most compelling is how the track employs water as multivalent metaphor. The title itself suggests contradictory states—being simultaneously elevated (“high”) and submerged (“underwater”). This impossible position perfectly encapsulates contemporary alienation: floating above normal life while simultaneously drowning in it.

As preview of their sophomore album “TENSIONS” (arriving this spring), “High Underwater” suggests a band refining their artistic vision. Their tasteful application of autotune functions not as corrective but as emotional signifier, creating artificial distance that paradoxically enhances authenticity.

For a band claiming to write hits for parallel dimensions, XOAN has created something that resonates powerfully in this reality—a track that captures the peculiar dissociation of modern existence while somehow transforming that disconnection into connective tissue between artist and listener.