The Skoplje-based indie punk rockers XAXAXA (written in the Cyrillic script, read as ‘HAHAHA’) are back with their 3^rd record ‘Sami maži i ženi’, which brings eight fresh tunes that divert from their previous releases in the best sense possible. XAXAXA have retained their signature nostalgic punk rock sound, but managed to shift it towards indie-rock territory. The songs’ BPMs have dropped and the overall atmosphere is more melancholic, partly even lugubrious, yet there is a newfound emphasis on melodicism. What truly separates the album from its predecessors is the way in which Vasko’s vocals are positioned into the band’s sound image. The record is wrapped with a cloak of atmospherics, and there is an omnipresent floating vibe that perfectly matches the subtle melodic changes. Thematically enriched with sporadic inserts of old Macedonian movies’ excerpts and archival football commentaries from the late 80s, ‘Sami maži I ženi’ stands boldly as a genre-breaking, boundary-bursting example of authentic musical expression.