XOR is the experimental/electronic project of Matthew Boman.

His latest release Moss and Mud was written for the Ambient Farm Stroll portion of Swannatopia's How Do We Mark the Flood? installation at Warren Wilson farm. The event was part of a larger exhibition, Deer Freaks and Decoys, with the Black Mountain College Museum and focused on the aftermath of hurricane Helene.

credit: Jaysen

With haunting melodies, pulsating rhythms, and seductive hooks, XOR propels electronic music into a realm of sonic uncertainty. At times ambient, at times darkwave or synthpop, the tracks draw listeners into a labyrinthine soundscape where the familiar dissolves into the enigmatic.

credit: Charlie Boss

Matthew had been recording under various monikers over the past decade before XOR. His debut full-length was an electropop album, written and recorded amidst the pandemic's disquiet.

In recent years, Matthew began exploring the world of modular synthesizers, reshaping mundane days of remote work into impromptu compositions he would later live-stream against sunsets or amidst the flowers in his garden. "Ephemeral Tracks, vol. 1" emerged in 2022 from these sonic experiments, followed by the 2023 release of “vol. 2.” The name draws inspiration from the ephemeral woodland wildflowers that briefly bloom in Appalachia's early spring, mirroring the transient nature of his modular-first compositions.

In 2024, Matthew released 'May the Forest Outlive Us' as Ceremony of Season's summer release. The title of the album is for the Weelaunee forest and the movement to defend it