The XX "XX" (2010)
The band was formed by school friends Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft as a duo but
later fleshed out by a couple of extra members. Oliver and Romy would
message each other lyric ideas and the band would work out their song
ideas at night, trying not to wake the other people in the household.
Perhaps this approach led to the gentle, stripped down approach.
The band stated they were influenced by some American RnB including the
production of Neptunes. Their sound to me is almost more like
stripped-down new-wave. Some electronic beats, clean guitar and subtle
synth parts. The band have a male and female vocalist which helps
provide some variety to their sound, with one or the other taking on lead vocals, or
both trading lines back and forth.
The first time I listened to this album was back in 2017; I enjoyed it
then and have enjoyed it on this re-listen. Back then (and it hasn't
changed) my favourite track was "Infinity" with its sultry groove and tremolo guitar, bearing some resemblance to Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game".
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