The xx- 'I See You' Album Review

The xx- ‘I See You’

The last 4 and a half years that have passed since The xx’s last studio album ‘Coexist’ have seen the stratospheric rise of then little known band member, and now DJ megastar Jamie xx. His full debut album ‘In Colour’, released in 2015, was a complex culmination of moody ballads, floor-filling bangers, and expansive tracks which made the listener question their preconceptions of the dance genre.

Now, in 2017, Jamie, along with bandmates Oliver Sim & Romy Madley Croft, known collectively as The xx, are back with their third studio album ‘I See You’. From first listen of this album, it is extremely clear that the band have taking vast inspiration from Jamie’s debut album with many of the songs utilising his retro, genre bouncing beats paired with Sim and Madley’s gorgeous vocals in order to create deeply introspective sounds that caresses the listener as they hear it. This influence is particularly clear on album opener ‘Dangerous’, which is filled with blasting, dancehallesque synthesised horns and a deep, heavy bassline which, when combined with the lush vocals, create a truly mesmerising resonance. Ballads like ‘Performance’ & ‘Test Me’ truly display the art of music that has made The xx so recognisable these past 8 years, intensely emotive tracks which gently swoon their way through their running, justifiably placing this album into critical acclaim territory. ‘I See You’ appears to be noticeably more sample driven than its predecessors, whether it be The Alessi Brothers from 1976 or Hall & Oates’ ‘I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do’, The xx have successfully mastered a way in which embeds these samples in a way in which is noticeable, yet not overpowering, and they do generally aid to the effectiveness of this new LP

Overall, ‘I See You’ feels exactly like The xx of old, whilst also sounding nothing like their past efforts. The complex dexterity behind this album is truly something to be greatly admired, very few bands would be able to come back after nearly 5 years and produce an album of this calibre. It is a smooth and polished item with each track adding another all-encompassing layer to this tremendous object.

Overall Rating- 8/10

Fave Songs- ‘Dangerous’, ‘Say Something Loving’, ‘I Dare You’, ‘On Hold’, ‘Lips’

Least Fave Songs- ‘Brave for You’