Pitchfork

In their bid to fling with every small label in the known universe (Guinness, get on this), Xiu Xiu have paired with the Slender Means Society imprint (run by Parenthetical Girls' Zac Pennington) to deliver yet another EP, Creepshow.

To be released November 7, hot on the heels of the Acuarela-stamped covers EP Tu Mi Piaci, and arriving a couple months after the September 12 release of fifth LP The Air Force (on 5RC), this one sees Jamie Stewart and Caralee "Little Panda" McElroy teaming with Liz Harris (stagename: Grouper) for a "largely ambient" affair, according to the label. It's the latest entry in Slender's "Pregnancy Series," which asks artists to produce a concept EP "in a manner that challenges the way that they normally make music." And which results in, you guessed it, challenging music.

Xiu Xiu vs. Grouper's Creepshow features five tasty tracks:

01 Waiting for the Flies
02 Growing Into Veins
03 In the City
04 Sea
05 In Dreams

Past Pregnancy Series participants include Portland upstarts the Blow and Thanksgiving, Providence avant-folksters Lucky Dragons, and Denver not-nearly-as-avant-folksters the Love Letter Band.

If they're not readying scores of releases, Xiu Xiu are touring, which is exactly what's happening this autumn. As previously reported, here's where you'll find them:

09-22 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court *#
09-23 Denver, CO - Climax Lounge *#
09-24 Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck *#
09-25 St. Louis, MO - Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center *#
09-27 Denton, TX - Hailey's *#
09-29 Austin, TX - Emo's *#
09-30 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington *#
10-02 Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under *#
10-03 Tampa, FL - Transitions Art Gallery *#
10-04 Sarasota, FL - Sudakoff Convention Center (New College) *#
10-05 Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds *#
10-06 Atlanta, GA - Eyedrum *#
10-07 Charleston, SC - Map Room *#
10-10 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church *#
10-12 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *#
10-13 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *^
10-14 Cambridge, MA - Middle East *^
10-16 Buffalo, NY - Soundlab *^
10-19 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa *^
10-20 Toronto, Ontario - El Mocambo *^
10-21 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick *^
10-23 Columbus, OH - Little Brother's *^
10-24 Newport, KY - Southgate House *^
10-25 Cleveland, OH - Beachland *^
10-26 Gambier, OH - Horn Gallery *^
10-27 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium *^
10-28 Minneapolis, MN *^
11-05 Eugene, OR - WOW Hall
11-07 Visalia, CA - Howie and Sons *
11-08 Goleta, CA - Hard to Find Showspace
11-09 Los Angeles, CA - Echo
11-10 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall *

* with Cong for Brums
# with BARR
^ with Dirty Projectors