13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips

13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips
Studio album by Xiu Xiu
Released	September 27, 2024 (2024-09-27)
Studio	Nurse (Los Angeles)
Genre	Experimental rock noise pop neo-psychedelia
Length	36:10
Label	Polyvinyl
Producer	Angela Seo
Xiu Xiu chronology
Ignore Grief (2023) 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips (2024)
Singles from 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips
"Common Loon" Released: June 25, 2024 (2024-06-25) "Arp Omni" Released: August 13, 2024 (2024-08-13) "Veneficium" Released: August 13, 2024 (2024-08-13)

13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips, colloquially referred to as 13", is the fourteenth studio album by American experimental band Xiu Xiu, released on September 27, 2024, by Polyvinyl.

Background

13" was announced on June 25, 2024 with the lead single "Common Loon", which was accompanied by a music video featuring Alicia McDaid. ^[1] The singles "Arp Omni" and "Veneficium" were released on August 13, 2024. ^[2]

The album's title comes from a switchblade owned by band frontperson Jamie Stewart. ^[3] In an interview with Our Culture , Stewart explained, "Switchblades, since the 1950s, are an almost clichéd symbol of 'tough guy' aesthetics. But as an instrument of violence, they're pretty useless... Serving as a symbol for violence and fear while being pretty useless is a fascinating symbol of violence generally." Stewart said one driving force the record was "interesting uselessness", "a stupid contradiction that could have genuine consequences". They said that there were switchblades "around the studio or at our desks or whatever", which functioned as a sort of talisman, guiding the band throughout the production. ^[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	80/100 [5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Beats Per Minute	79% [7]
Paste	8.2/10 [8]
PopMatters	7/10 [9]
Record Collector	[10]
The Skinny	[11]
Sputnikmusic	4.2/5 [12]
Uncut	7/10 [13]
Under the Radar	8/10 [14]

13" received generally favourable reviews on release. On the review aggregating website Metacritic, the album received a normalized rating of 80 out of 100 based on 10 critical reviews. ^[5] Dale Maplethorpe of Far Out praised the album for being an "unpredictable mesh of chaos," and wrote that it "is an absolute joy from start to finish." ^[15] The Quietus 's Claire Biddles said the album "might be Xiu Xiu's best," further noting that it's "funny, terrifying, extreme, horny, embarrassing, relatable – everything that Xiu Xiu have ever been at once." ^[3]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Arp Omni"	4:22
2.	"Maestro One Chord"	3:38
3.	"Common Loon"	3:31
4.	"Pale Flower"	5:00
5.	"Veneficium"	4:08
6.	"Sleep Blvd."	3:15
7.	"T.D.F.T.W."	3:24
8.	"Bobby Bland"	3:57
9.	"Piña, Coconut & Cherry"	4:55
Total length:		36:10

Personnel

Credits adapted from Polyvinyl. ^[16]

Xiu Xiu

• Jamie Stewart – vocals, guitar, bass, synthesisers, percussion, bajo quinto, drum machine
• Angela Seo – vocals, synthesisers, organ, sheet metal, percussion, piano, autoharp, production
• David Kendrick – percussion, drums

Additional musicians

• Soo Cho – violin
• David Kim – violin
• Min Kim – viola
• John Lee – cello
• Daniel Park – cello

Technical

• John Congleton – mixing
• Alan Douche – mastering

Artwork

• Janelle Abad – design

Footnotes

1. Corcoran 2024.
2. Chelosky 2024.
3. Biddles 2024.
4. Akler-Bishop 2024.
5. Metacritic n.d.
6. Phares, Heather (September 27, 2024). "13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn Grips - Xiu Xiu". AllMusic . Retrieved November 22, 2025.
7. Wohlmacher 2024.
8. Epstein-Gross 2024.
9. Ingalls 2024.
10. This is an album which doesn't reveal its secrets all at once, and instead invites you to spend time with it. [Nov 2024, p.101]
11. Barker, Noah (September 23, 2024). "Xiu Xiu – 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn Grips". The Skinny . Retrieved November 22, 2025.
12. DadKungFu 2024.
13. A serrated synthesis of goth, industrial and synth-pop conducted at a histrionic intensity, 13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto… sometimes feels deliberately difficult. But it is also inspired enough to be worth the effort. [Dec 2024, p.39]
14. Roseblade 2024.
15. Maplethorpe, Dale (September 26, 2024). "Xiu Xiu – '13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stilletto with Bison Horn Grips' album review". Far Out Magazine.
16. Polyvinyl Record Co. n.d.

References

• Akler-Bishop, Ryan (September 26, 2024). "Xiu Xiu on How Switchblades, Blixa Bargeld, the Roland CR-68, and More Inspired Their New Album '13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips'". Our Culture . Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
• Biddles, Claire (September 26, 2024). "Falling Into Place: Xiu Xiu's 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips". The Quietus . Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
• Chelosky, Danielle (August 13, 2024). "Xiu Xiu – 'Arp Omni' & 'Veneficium'". Stereogum . Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
• Corcoran, Nina (June 25, 2024). "Xiu Xiu Announce Tour and New Album, Share NSFW Video for New Song: Watch". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
• DadKungFu (October 4, 2024). "Review: Xiu Xiu - 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto..." Sputnikmusic . Retrieved October 11, 2024.
• Epstein-Gross, Casey (October 8, 2024). "Xiu Xiu's 13" Is Another Gut-Punch of an Album From the World's Most Visceral Band". Paste . Retrieved October 11, 2024.
• Ingalls, Chris (October 2, 2024). "Xiu Xiu's Latest Album Shows Off Their Irresistible Noise". PopMatters . Archived from the original on October 2, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
• Roseblade, Nick (October 22, 2024). "Xiu Xiu – '13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stilletto with Bison Horn Grips' album review". Under the Radar . Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
• Wohlmacher, John (October 2, 2024). "Album Review: Xiu Xiu – 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips". Beats Per Minute . Archived from the original on October 3, 2024. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
• "13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips by Xiu Xiu Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. n.d. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
• "13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips". Polyvinyl Record Co. n.d. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.