UK prog duo XEELEE debuts with 12-minute single Cycles

XEELEE is a progressive metal band creating long-form, thematic music. Their goal is to take the listener on a far-reaching journey through unexpected musical pathways, whilst still centering strong song-writing at the core. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, XEELEE is the music of Scottish composer Matt Bearne and the vocals and lyrics of Latvian singer/artist Inese Verebe.

Matt has always had a passion for writing long-form music, and was specifically looking for a female vocalist to embody what he had been wanting to hear in progressive music. With Inese he found the voice he was looking for. Inese’s masterful and melancholic storytelling, creating abstract imagery with her words, was the perfect fit for Matt’s vision, as was her expansive and expressive range. Together they have created an album of music to lose yourself in; music that is layered and benefits from repeated listens, with new details emerging each time.

Their music is orchestral in approach: from intimate passages with clean guitar, piano, and hauntingly melancholic vocals; to heavy, epic moments of 7-string guitar, and powerful, soaring singing. Dense, contrapuntal sections using layers of synthesiser are contrasted with desolate, mangled moments of unsettling sound design. Ethereal yet commanding vocals are used in conjunction with whispers, spoken-word, and guttural screams. Musical themes repeat and transform over 10+ minute song lengths with a thread that is never lost, but deftly woven into one coherent, singular work.

XEELEE’s debut album “consilience“, scheduled for release on Dec. 03, 2026, is a culmination of a wide variety of influences and years spent fine-tuning a specific musical vision of intricate, cinematic progressive metal.

Today, you can get a first glimpse into XEELEE’s sound universe with this exclusive single premiere of their very first single, ‘Cycles‘.

‘Cycles’ is a song about how our behaviour, as individuals as well as a species, can get trapped in loops. Attempts to change can come full circle and we end up repeating exactly what we tried to avoid. This dooms us, yet there is always space for hope. This is explored musically too, with various melodic and rhythmic themes that are threaded throughout; that change and return.

Listen to ‘Cycles’ now:

Pre-save ‘Cycles’ here: distrokid.com/hyperfollow/xeelee/cycles

XEELEE are:
Inese Verebe – Vocals
Matt Bearne – Guitars, keys, synths, sound design, backing vocals

Guest Musician on Cycles:
Simen Sandnes – Drums

Cycles songwriting credits:
Music: Matt Bearne, Katri Adair, Inese Verebe
Lyrics: Katri Adair, Inese Verebe, Matt Bearne

Arranged and produced by Matt Bearne
Vocals engineered by Michael Macdonald of York Street Studios, Aberdeen, Scotland
Mixed by Shelby Logan Warne at Sensible Studios, London, England
Mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios, Örebro, Sweden

Simen’s drums engineered by Simen and recorded at Økern, Oslo, Norway

Artwork by Ada Zielińska
Photography by Santa Dimante
Design by Anna Bearne

XEELEE (pic by Santa Dimante)