At first I thought that 2XM was a young, new act. But in fact they have been around since 1991, with different line-ups. Their heyday was between 1991 and 1994, then under the name Deus Ex Machina. This name was probably rather confusing, because there were also bands with that name in Mexico and Australia. The act I’m reviewing now is actually from Sweden. The core of the band is formed by Fredrik Sjöberg, who takes care of all the music. The band hopes to obtain a record deal with this self-released mini-cd.
This EP contains 4 dynamic electro tracks. 2XM calls their style electropump, well it’s a mixture of uptempo electro, synthpop and more American-style crossover-industrial. In some way they have fused a classic early 90’s EBM sound with more modern elements and styles. Though the music is not very dark, it’s also way less poppy than for example VNV Nation. The vocals are quite powerful, while the melodies are rather catchy. The music is absolutely energetic and danceable. I think the first track, ‘Re-action’, is the most catchy, with a good refrain. The mid-tempo piece ‘Crash’ is also quite nice. I don’t like the aggressive crossover piece ‘Stabbed’ (an attack at some ‘bitch’) that much.
Though 2XM brings us nothing very revolutionary, they have created an EP with solid uptempo electro. Though this style of music can’t really excite me personally anymore these days, I know that there are many less talented bands in this genre around. It will be difficult though to get noticed in the flood of electro releases that come out. This review copy contains 4 tracks, the ‘commercial’ version has one more and can be obtained at the band’s website.