It's been quite a while since we've heard from The XX. Back in 2009, this indie pop trio was absolutely everywhere due to the success of their debut album "XX". Honestly, you can't blame it for being everywhere, the dreamy, hazy electronic pop feel of that album was just so hip at the time. Not to mention, there were a handful of some of the most definitive dream pop songs of the last few years on there such as "Crystalised", "Islands" and "Heart Skipped a Beat". It would be three years until we heard from The XX again. But during that time, Jamie Smith aka Jamie XX seriously got some big production credits under his belt, namely on Drake's "Take Care". Jamie's seriously huge production skills were getting bigger by the day, and it was something I really wanted to stand out on their follow up album. All of these great things to say about the early days of The XX's early career really made their second album "Coexist" so disappointing. The production was great, but along the way there was a serious disconnect. While the feeling of the first album was certainly still there, The XX I feel weren't capitalizing on their strengths. There were solid tracks here and there like "Try", but most of "Coexist" put me right to sleep. In the years since, Jamie has gotten bigger and better, releasing his first solo album "In Colour". "In Colour" was a massive success, many heralding it as one of the best dance albums of this generation, and it certainly is up there. Ever since though, The XX have been quiet. When I first started hearing the first few singles from this album my mind went wild. The XX were sounding better than ever, and Jamie's production was getting more use than ever. So yea, I was VERY excited to see where this album was going to go, let's dive in shall we!
(Classic XX, still one of the cooler singles of this generation).
“Dangerous” starts this album off, and right from the start I seriously have to say what is this!? Nowhere in the rest of The XX’s discography or any of Jamie’s solo stuff have I heard anything this triumphant and thunderous. Jamie’s odd sampling has always been a HUGE strength of his, whoever he sampled for that opening trumpet fanfare is a stroke of genius. What we see here and what you’re going to see about “I See You” as a whole is just how much this was influenced by Jamie’s solo work. The XX on this album almost completely leave their dream pop and indie pop elements behind and go for slightly more dance oriented stuff. The only thing really holding this back from being more mainstream sounding are Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft’s super distinct vocal performances. While early XX recordings dealt with first time experiences and being comfortable in sexuality, tracks like “Dangerous” come off dare I say suave, and much more adult to say the least. The hook here is absolutely to die for, overall this is one HELL Of a new direction for The XX. It’s about two bass drops away from being a banger, similarly to Jamie’s solo stuff, but interestingly enough this is still The XX at the end of the day. What an intro man, what an intro. But if “Dangerous” doesn’t sound like Jamie’s solo work enough, up next is “Say Something Loving”. The first time I heard this one, I thought I was listening to a B-Side from Jamie’s solo album “In Colour”. Jamie’s strength’s continue to be the same, from these bizarre samples that you probably wouldn’t hear anywhere else to those guitar licks that you can tell are his from a mile away. While were on the topic of strengths, I’ve always felt that Romy and Oliver are at their best when they’re playing off one another, which they certainly do wonderfully on “Say Something Loving”. This one is much less of a club banger, with Romy and Oliver sounding so much more isolated, like two lovers who have been longing to spend time alone together and they finally have it. As far as their performances go, they both sound fantastic, and they both continue to sound much more confident and fearless. “Say Something Loving” to me is the epitome of everything The XX should be going for, and I honestly feel like this is going to go down as one of their shining moments. Up next on the track list is “Lips”, which starts off with some more sampling from Jamie. If there’s one thing we know about Jamie, it’s that he loves to throw curveballs at us and show us things that we haven’t heard before. While this all remains very different in comparison to early XX stuff, there’s still plenty of elements left over like those plinking synths and the recurring themes of passion and romance. The XX pull it off wonderfully though, and some of those instrumentals that pop in and out occasionally are simply chilling. And let me just say, that slide guitar that Jamie has become synonymous with is never NOT going to be cool. The XX as a whole are just such masters at creating these hulking, dreamy, smokey atmospheres that you can’t say no to. Romy and Oliver here both sound so demanding, which is something that’s just so different for them. Overall, this is just another really fantastic track. The XX really took their time with this record, and even more importantly took the time to really get to know themselves inside and out as well as honing their crafts as musicians. I really couldn’t be much happier for them to be honest. Up next is “A Violent Noise”, and if you’re listening to this album from start to finish by this point you seriously have to be completely encapsulated by this atmosphere. “A Violent Noise” is much more on the subtle side, one that focuses much more on the performances of Romy and Oliver. In this case though, it works out perfectly. While the atmosphere here comes off so subtle, all of the calamity going on in the background makes for some seriously cool back and forth effects. The overwhelming sense of “cool” is key on this track, as well as the contrast between Romy and Oliver’s almost innocent sounding performances combined with the “slow motion rave” atmosphere of Jamie’s production. It’s actually quite stunning, and while this is a softer song, there’s enough constantly changing to keep you awake and interested.
While overall I seriously love a lot of the material, The XX do throw a few more boring tracks our way in the second half of the album. “Performance” starts off with another other worldly, inhuman sounding sample from Jamie. Romy is the star of this one though, and her performance here is sweet and absolutely personal feeling. Lyrically, this sounds like something FKA Twisge would have tackled, but Romy pulls it off pretty well. Her performance and everything else about “Performance” is super deep, almost to a heartbreaking level, and those weeping guitars floating through the background make things even more teary eyed. As far as Romy’s performance goes, this is certainly a standout, but that doesn’t go with out having a few downsides. Obviously, instrumentally this is a bit of a back-step, and overall this literally might be EVERYTHING I didn’t enjoy about their last album “Coexist”. Romy’s performance DOES save eveything, but I can see people losing their interest in tracks like these. “Replica” up next and right off the bat is a little more diverse. While the sample here is on the quieter side, it at least picks up the mood. It’s also clear that a little bit of background noise was 100% what the last track was missing. “Replica” while it isn’t terrible, feels a little recycled to me. While Romy and Oliver have great chemistry and play off each other so damn well, everything else about this one is a little uninteresting. Lyrically I feel like this is something we’ve heard from them so many times, and while I really love Oliver and Romy’s dreamy vocals, they just seem a little bored here. However, there is still plenty to enjoy about “Replica”, mainly those backing guitars and synths. “Brave For You” has a more whimsical, almost spacey feel. That’s cool and all, but after all of these slow track’s I’m DYING for a more upbeat track, which once again was my big issue with “Coexist”. Romy’s performance once again is certainly heartfelt to a commendable level, and the backing instrumentals once again are seriously really fantastic. But at this point, I need a little oomph. Where is that triumphant sound they started this album with? I still think this is an improvement from “Coexist”, but tracks like this would have been so much better with a little extra rhythm and instrumental. Once again though, I don’t think this is a complete throwaway, those instrumentals that come in behind Romy towards the end takes things from hazy and dreamy to thunderous and epic in seconds. Thankfully, things really start picking back up again with “On Hold”. This was the first big single dropped from this album, and honestly I still absolutely love it even though it was dropped months ago. At the end of the day, man this is just such a great single. Similarly to a whole lot of other tracks here, this one is centered around Jamie’s production and goes right back to mirroring his solo work. Romy and Oliver’s performances here are both sweet and heartfelt, and there’s actually some really solid buildup during the verses leading up to the chorus. Say what you will about the Hall & Oates sample during the chorus, personally I think it works really well for them. It’s still hip enough to get on every indie playlist, but it’s also enjoyable enough all around to maybe even get some radio airplay. It’s sort of spacey and a little smokey, but these are elements that work great with The XX, and this is just a fantastic track all around.
To be honest, I was worrying about the finale to this record, with all of the slower tracks towards the center I thought The XX may just lose focus. However, they actually stick to what’s worked for them so far. On “I Dare You”, The XX continue to slowly drift away from their dream pop roots and go for a more confident Indie-tronica feel, which personally I feel like works great. Jamie’s production remains fierce, and Oliver’s singled out vocals are perfect for the darker atmosphere of the track. When Romy’s vocals do eventually come in, she sounds actually really rejuvenated and powerful. This more upbeat electronica and dance sound continues to be a really great direction for The XX. As far as the finale goes, “Test Me” is actually pretty stunning. After all of these much more upbeat dance anthems here, “Test Me” is much slower and prettier, but doesn’t put you to sleep like some other tracks here. Romy’s vocals here are absolutely stunning, and when Oliver pops in they have just as good of chemistry as you would expect. Even lyrically, The XX continue to show just how much they’ve come into their own and grown up. It’s a solid ending.
Rating: 8.1/10
Give A Listen To: “Dangerous”, “Say Something Loving”. “On Hold”, “A Violent Noise”
Overall Thoughts: The last time The XX came out with an album I struggled to even get through it. That was years ago though, and since then the trio have really grown up in quite a few ways. Lyrically, The XX are much more confident with their emotions and able to present them wonderfully. The band also play to their strengths masterfully, with Oliver and Romy playing off each others steamy vocals with Jamie nailing the production. This is far from The XX that we were introduced to years ago, but it's the fresh reboot that they needed and I'm excited to hear more.
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