The xx, known for their psychedelic voices and electronic beats, released a new album Jan. 13 after eight years of being in the dark and living off of their legendary, two-hour loop entitled “Outro.” After their self titled album “The xx” released in 2007, the band skyrocketed into mass popularity in the Alternative and Electronic genres. “I See You,” The xx’s third full length album sticks to the original sound of the group, but fine tunes the aura each song creates into something more sophisticated and lyrical than their previous albums.
Jamie Smith broke off from the group in 2015 as a soloist under the name “Jamie xx,” and created the award winning album entitled “In Colour.” After his own album flourished, he rejoined The xx to develop a long-awaited album. Although the other two members of the band, Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim, create lush vocals and avant-garde bass lines, it is obvious the increasing maturity of each song is attributed to Smith’s previous successes as a solo artist. Smith is the mastermind behind the sound of the album, and Madley Croft and Sim ornament the sound with their incredible talent for musicality and poetry.
Although Madley Croft and Sim do not possess intense vibrato and volume, the simplicity of their voices lead to the complexity of the album. Madley Croft’s soothing vocal range and Sim’s throaty sound coexist in each song to produce a melodious harmony. Both musicians have taken the eight year hiatus as an educational experience to further their talents and bring new dimensions to The xx.
The lyrics of each song on “I See You” incorporate love and loss, two themes frequently seen within The xx albums. In “Say Something Loving,” Madley Croft and and Sim both reminisce about a struggling love between two people who grasp at strings to remember the beginning stages of their romance. In “Dangerous,” Madley Croft sings about how, although everyone tells her her relationship is toxic, she listens to her heart only for it to break in the end.
It is not so much the album itself but each artist and his or her musical growth that leads to the magic of “I See You.” Smith, Madley Croft and Sim all use their individual talents to create their most complex album yet.
