GENRE: Electronic
LABEL: Principle
REVIEWED: 1 October, 2025
RATING: 7.7/10
Portuguese electronic artist XEXA has released her eagerly awaited follow-up, Kissom, on September 26, 2025, through Lisbon-based label Príncipe. The album is now available on major streaming services as well as via Bandcamp.
Critics are heralding Kissom as a leap forward from her debut Vibrações de Prata. In its review, Pitchfork awards the album a 7.6 rating, describing it as a more unified, ambitious work that “weaves eclectic ideas into a cohesive and futuristic sonic landscape.” The review praises tracks like “Project 8,” “Txê,” “Kizomba 003,” and the expansive album closer “Quem És Tu” for their textural depth, synth manipulation, and rhythm experimentation.
On Bandcamp, Kissom is offered in digital formats (MP3, FLAC, WAV), and tracks such as “Será,” “Xtinti,” and “Txê” are noted to end with a gradual muting of frequencies—creating dissolving, ghostlike transitions. The title track Kissom is presented as an extended reinterpretation of “Kizomba 003,” slowing the groove into a longer, ambient version of her dance-inflected rhythms.
Meanwhile, Boomkat highlights the album’s “electroacoustic ambient-pop forms” and draws comparisons to artists like Arthur Russell in terms of emotional resonance and sonic daring. The label notes that despite its experimental leanings, Kissom still pulses with groove and melodic backbone. Boomkat also mentions the vinyl edition: limited to 600 hand-painted copies, each with a unique cover and a free digital download included.
In Pitchfork’s “15 New Albums You Should Listen To Now” list, Kissom receives a spotlight, with commentary that XEXA “makes dream-pop with a DJ’s sensibility,” fusing vaporous synth textures with skeletal grooves and reworking traditional Angolan rhythms like kizomba into destabilized, genre-bending forms.
With Kissom, XEXA cements her place in contemporary electronic music: not just an experimental voice from the Lusophone space, but one forging a distinct, futuristic aural identity across global platforms.
