Skopje four-piece Xajka are back with III, their third album and first since 2023’s Мека Машина, released on Geenger Records. It’s a record that tests out some genuinely cool ideas. The band are clearly branching out, playing with longer songs and a more progressive sound.
The result is very groovy and very danceable: almost dance punk, but darker. The groove comes from krautrock, with its motorik rhythm and mechanical pulse, while post-punk adds a darker edge that keeps you on your toes. The album takes a little time to find its rhythm, but that’s not a criticism. It’s a record built on groove, slowly building energy before releasing it towards the end, and the final run of tracks is all killer, no filler.
Koža, the first single, kicks things off strong. It’s very motor-driven, with spoken-word vocals that feel slightly abstract, off-kilter and anxious, a bit like early Viagra Boys. It’s krautrock-infused post-punk: electronics and motorik drive from one side, jagged bass, punk drumming and angular guitar lines from the other. It’s a combination I always enjoy, and here the two styles fit together really well.
Retrovizor, towards the end of the first half, is another highlight. It’s dark and gritty, with a guitar riff to die for, tight drumming, and vocals that suit the twisted sound perfectly: part gothic, part heavier post-punk, and quite hypnotic.
But the standout for me is Avtomatska reakcija. At over eight minutes long, it’s very reminiscent of darker 80s Novi val mixed with krautrock, and it even has that strange whirring, alarm-like synth sound Idoli used on Odbrana i poslednji dani. Bože follows with full-on garage rock and heavy riffs.
Then comes Gradot, a motor-driven post-punk track with a heavy bassline, a little like Vagina Corporation. It’s groovy, the vocals are raw, the guitars jagged and cutting, and the synths add an abstract, unsettling edge. For me, it’s right up there with Avtomatska reakcija.
Tolku slows things down. The guitar riffs are great, though the vocals sometimes get slightly drowned out by the heavy guitars and drums; it’s a minor detail. It feels darker, slightly haunting and creepy, like Unknown Pleasures with a slower beat and a thicker sound.
Overall, III is a really strong third album. There are some immediate killer tracks, but the album as a whole moves nicely between mechanical krautrock groove, tight, dark post-punk and slower, more experimental moments. It’s also more polished and fully realised than their previous release. At 48 minutes, it’s almost twice as long as Мека Машина (27 minutes), and the ideas are explored much more deeply, giving it a more rounded sound and a stronger sense of narrative across the record. Where they once went for hard-hitting, raw punk, they’ve given their sound a progressive, krautrock spin. It feels like a band maturing: they’ve kept what works, expanded on it, and taken a gamble on something new. It’s different, but it really works.
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