The xx are an English

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band from

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), and formerly Baria Qureshi (keyboard, guitar). They are known for their distinctive minimalist sound blending indie rock, indie electronic,

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...

and electro-rock and the dual-vocalist set-up of Madley Croft and Sim. Their music employs soft echoed guitar, prominent bass, light electronic beats and ambient soundscape backgrounds. The band was formed when Madley Croft and Sim met during their time at Elliott School, with Baria Qureshi joining the same year and Smith in the following year. After posting demos on their Myspace page, they drew the attention of the

Beggars Group Beggars Group is a British record company, founded by Martin Mills, that owns or holds stakes in various record labels, including 4AD, Rough Trade Records, Matador Records, XL Recordings, and Young (record label), Young. History The company had i ...

-owned label Young Turks (now Young). Working with producer Rodaidh McDonald, the band released their debut album, '' xx'', in August 2009. The album was a commercial and critical success, reaching number three on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

, ranking first for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''s and second for ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

''s best of the year lists among others, and winning the

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...

in 2010. After their debut, Qureshi left the group. Their second album, '' Coexist'', was released on 5 September 2012 to positive reviews, reaching number one in the UK and number five on the ''Billboard'' 200. After a four-year lapse between releases, including Smith's solo debut in 2015, '' In Colour'', the band released their third album, '' I See You'', on 13 January 2017, which debuted to critical acclaim and reached number one in the UK and number two on the ''Billboard'' 200.

History

2005–2009: Formation

The band members met while studying at Elliott School, the same school attended by Hot Chip,

Burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

, Four Tet, actor

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bond in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film series, starri ...

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

founder Peter Green and singer Matt Monro. The group has downplayed the influence of the school on its career: "A teacher from Elliott who had never even taught us said how great we were. It's a bit annoying. We were left alone, more than anything – although I'm sure that helped us in its own way." Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft (born 1989) started the band as a duo when they were 15. Guitarist Baria Qureshi joined once it began performing in 2005, with Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx, joining a year after. Smith, although schoolfriends with Madley Croft, Sim and Qureshi, joined the band after being formally introduced by their now label, Young Turks (now Young).

2009–2011: ''xx'' and Qureshi's departure

The xx's debut album '' xx'' was released on 14 August 2009 through the British independent record label Young Turks, and was met with critical acclaim. The album ranked on best of the year lists, ranking ninth on the ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' list and second for ''NME''. In the 2009 ''NME The Future 50 list'', the xx was positioned at number six, and in October 2009, it was named one of MTV Iggy's "Top 10 Bands with Buzz" (at the CMJ Music Marathon 2009). " Crystalised" was featured on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

(UK) as Single of the Week, starting from 18 August 2009. Though the band had previously worked with producers including Diplo and Kwes, Smith produced ''xx'' and co-mixed with Rodaidh McDonald. The xx recorded its first album in a small garage that was part of the XL Recordings studio, often at night. In August 2009, the band headlined its own concert tour. The xx has toured with artists including Friendly Fires, The Big Pink, and Micachu. In January 2010,

Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2 ...

chose the band to play at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival which he curated in Minehead, England. In addition, the band played at five music festivals in the United States, Coachella,

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, Bonnaroo,

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...

and

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American Concert, live music Television show, television program recorded and produced by KLRU, Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", an ...

In late 2009, second guitarist and keyboardist Baria Qureshi left the group. Initial reports stated that this was due to exhaustion, but Oliver Sim later said that the rest of the band had made this decision: "Also to be fair to her, people have an idea about that she left the band. She didn't. It was a decision that me, Romy, and Jamie made. And it had to happen." The music of its debut album was used extensively on television and in the media, such as ''24/7'', '' Person of Interest'', NBC's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games; during the series '' Cold Case'', '' Suits'', ''

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts. In the social and le ...

'', the Greek version of '' Next Top Model'', '' Bedlam'', '' Hung'', '' 90210'', as well as being the feature song for the March 2010 E4 advert for '' 90210'', '' Misfits'', the Karl Lagerfeld fall/winter 2011 fashion show, '' Waterloo Road'', and the film '' I Am Number Four''. In May 2010, the track " Intro" was used by the BBC in its coverage of the 2010 general election. This led to the band playing the track on an episode of '' Newsnight''. The track was also played before the UEFA Euro 2012 and UEFA Euro 2016 matches at stadiums in Poland, Ukraine, and France and featured during the end of '' Top Gear'' season 19 episode 6 "Africa Special Part 1". Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and Sander van Doorn's 2012 single "Project T", which launched the Tomorrowland 2012 aftermovie, contains samples from "Intro"; van Doorn had earlier released a remix of the song in 2010. The song was also sampled in

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

's " Drunk on Love" from her album '' Talk That Talk'' and was featured in the films '' It's Kind of a Funny Story'' and '' Project X''. In September 2010, ''xx'' won the

.Cardew, Ben. "CHARTS: Mercury Win Expedites the Xx's Chart Fortunes." Music Week (2010): 3. Print.Paine, Andre. "The XX Factor." Billboard – The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment 122.38 (2010): 42. Print."The Xx at a Crossroads After Mercurys Win." Music Week (2010): 1. Print. After the live ceremony screening, the album jumped from 16 to 3 on 12 September UK album chart, accompanying a 269% sales increase. XL's marketing campaign drastically expanded after this substantial win, with day-time TV advertisements and billboard campaigns on some of the UK's highest-profile digital billboards. Thanks to the highlighted publicity, XL Recordings says that it shipped more than 40,000 CDs in the days following the Mercury Prize. XL managing director Ben Beardsworth explained, "Thanks to the Mercury win... things are accelerating dramatically and the band will be reaching a bigger and bigger audience with their music." In another promotional initiative, the label sent out Saam Farahmand's audio/visual sculpture of the album when the band toured at Bestival 2010, as well as to an event at Seoul. The xx was nominated for 'Best British Album', 'Best British Breakthrough' and 'Best British Band' at the 2011 BRIT Awards held on 15 February 2011 at the O2 Arena in London, although it did not win in any of the categories.

2011–2012: ''Coexist''

In December 2011, Smith revealed that he wanted to release the xx's second album ahead of its festival appearances the following year, and that it was inspired by " club music". "The majority of stuff I'm working on now is the xx stuff. We're just about to start recording. Hopefully we'll get it done in time for most festivals next year, because that's the most fun." Discussing the sound of the album, he said: "We've all come back off tour and been partying a bit more. We left when we were 17 and we missed out on that chunk of our lives when everyone else was partying. Club music has definitely had an influence on the next record." On 1 June 2012, it was announced that the follow-up, '' Coexist'', would be released on 10 September. On 16 July 2012, it announced and released " Angels" as the lead single from ''Coexist''. On 3 September 2012, in a collaboration with

Internet Explorer Internet Explorer (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer and Windows Internet Explorer, commonly abbreviated as IE or MSIE) is a deprecation, retired series of graphical user interface, graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft that were u ...

, the xx released ''Coexist'' to stream on its website until the worldwide release date on 11 September. In August 2012, the xx was featured on the cover of issue number 81 of ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

''. The xx performed at Bestival on 9 September 2012 in front of the largest crowd at the festival. Its first North American tour started on 5 October in Vancouver, Canada, with dates throughout the US and Mexico.

2013–2018: Touring and ''I See You''

In 2013, the xx held a series of three festival-style concerts, called "Night + Day", in Berlin, Lisbon, and London. The festivals featured performances and DJ sets curated by the band, including

Kindness Kindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return. It is a subject of interest in philosophy, religion, and psychology. It can be directed towards o ...

and Mount Kimbie. Each festival culminated in a nighttime concert by the band. The band was nominated for a Brit Award for Best British Group, eventually losing out to Mumford & Sons. In April 2013, the xx contributed the song "Together" to the official soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of '' The Great Gatsby''. In March 2014, the xx performed a series of shows at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. The show featured live visual effects and had a limited capacity. In May 2014, the band revealed that they were working on their third studio album, working with producer Rodaidh McDonald at the Marfa Recording Company studio in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. In May 2015, Jamie xx said that his debut album '' In Colour'' "has definitely informed what we're doing for the next album." The band also reported that the record will have "a completely different concept" than their previous records. In November 2015, the band stated that they would continue working on the record through December and it will be released in 2016. On 6 October 2016, it was reported the band was planning to release new music "before the holidays." On 10 October 2016, they announced that they were still working on the third album, but shared a playlist and added tour dates. In November 2016, the xx announced that the release of their third studio album, '' I See You'', would be on 13 January 2017. They released the album's lead single " On Hold" at the same time. On 19 November 2016, the xx appeared as the musical guest on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

''. They performed the songs "On Hold" and "I Dare You". On 2 January 2017, the band released the album's second lead single "Say Something Loving". In November 2016, UK and European tour dates were announced for the new album. On 25 November 2016 the band announced an extended residency at the O2 Academy, Brixton – adding four additional days to their original tour and setting the record for longest run of sold-out shows in the venue's history. '' I See You'' was nominated for IMPALA's European Album of the Year Award.

2019–present: Side projects and fourth studio album

In 2020, Madley Croft recorded backing vocals on the song "We Will Sin Together" on Jehnny Beth's debut solo album, '' To Love Is to Live'', and released her debut single, "Lifetime". Sim released his debut album, '' Hideous Bastard'', on 9 September 2022 through Young. It was produced by Jamie xx. Madley Croft's debut solo album '' Mid Air'', produced by Stuart Price,

Fred Again Frederick John Philip Gibson (born 19 July 1993), known professionally as Fred Again (stylised as Fred again..) or simply Fred (stylised as FRED), is an English record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and DJ. At the 66th Ann ...

, and Jamie xx, was released on 8 September 2023 through Young. In early January 2024, she confirmed the band was working on their fourth studio album.

Musical style and influences

The xx has been described as various genres, including

, indie electronic, R&B,

, and electro-rock, while incorporating elements of

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

. The band members have cited several artists in their influences. Madley Croft said: "Jamie started out very much into soul and then from there moved into hip-hop and UK-based dance music. He brings some much lower frequencies of bass into the band. And then I've grown up listening to

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...

, and

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

. We're really quite a huge melting pot of different stuff." She also had mentioned her liking for

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

, The Slits, Joy Division, Yazoo, Eurythmics and New Order. Madley Croft also added that the xx have been inspired by CocoRosie,

The Kills The Kills are an English-American rock music, rock duo formed by American singer Alison Mosshart, Alison "VV" Mosshart and English guitarist Jamie Hince, Jamie "Hotel" Hince. They are signed to Domino Recording Company, Domino Records. Their fi ...

and Electrelane. When signing to their label, they discovered bands like Cocteau Twins. They also expressed admiration for

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

. Sim is an avid fan of

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...

, with the band covering her song " Hot Like Fire", while Madley Croft enjoys

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

's music.

Band members

Current members * Romy Madley Croft – vocals, guitars, keyboards * Oliver Sim – vocals, bass, synthesizers * Jamie xx – synthesizers, drums, keyboards, samplers, sequencers, production Former members * Baria Qureshi – keyboards, guitar

Awards and nominations

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" , Best Indie/Alternative Video , , - ,

, '' xx'' , Album of the Year , , - , NME Awards , rowspan=2, Themselves , Best New Band , , , - , rowspan=2, Q Awards , Best New Act , , - , " VCR" , Best Track , , - , rowspan=5, 2011 ,

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, "

" , Best Contemporary Song , , - , BT Digital Music Awards , The xx iPhone app , Best Music App , , - , International Dance Music Awards , " VCR" ( Four Tet Remix) , Best Alternative/Rock Dance Track , , , - , rowspan=3, Brit Awards , '' xx'' , British Album of the Year , , rowspan=2, , - , rowspan=2, Themselves , rowspan=2, British Group , , - , 2012 , , , - , rowspan="4", 2013 , Independent Music Awards , rowspan="2", '' Coexist'' , Best 'Difficult' Second Album , , - , A2IM Libera Awards , Independent Album of the Year , , - , Brit Awards , rowspan="3", Themselves , Best British Group , , - , rowspan="2", mtvU Woodie Awards , Branching Out Woodie , , - , 2014 , Performing Woodie , , - , rowspan="4", 2017 , A2IM Libera Awards , '' I See You'' , Marketing Genius , , , - , AIM Independent Music Awards , "On Hold" , Independent Track of the Year , , - , Q Awards , Best Album , ''I See You'' , , - , rowspan="2", Hungarian Music Awards , " On Hold" , rowspan="2", Foreign Electronic Music Album or Sound Record , , - , rowspan="4", 2018 , rowspan="2", '' I See You'' , , - , rowspan="2", Sweden GAFFA Awards , Best Foreign Album , , - , rowspan="2", Themselves , Best International Group , , - , Brit Awards , Best British Group ,

Discography

* '' xx'' (2009) * '' Coexist'' (2012) * '' I See You'' (2017)

Tours

* The xx Tour (2009–10) * Coexist Tour (2012–2014) * I See You Tour (2017–2018)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Xx category:2005 establishments in England English indie pop groups category:British dream pop musical groups category:English electronic rock musical groups category:English electronic music groups category:English pop music groups category:Musical groups established in 2005 Rock music groups from the London Borough of Wandsworth English musical trios British remixers category:XL Recordings artists Mixed-gender bands Young (record label) artists