We Used To Be Closer Than This

The xx - Chained

How do you improve on perfection? That was the problem facing The XX after their 2009 self-titled debut album. An LP that flawlessly realised their spatially aware minimal sound, and through tracks like VCR, captured shyness in a way that no record before or since really managed. With their second album, Coexist, the London trio took the only option realistically viable for them to try, refinement. The trouble is, with an already lean sound, fat to trim is hard to find. The results were mixed, succeeding in trimming their sound to the bare-essentials, but failing to deliver songs with the motional punch of it’s predecessor. ‘Chained,’ is the exception to the generalisation, it’s a romantically charged duet which eschews shyness for confessional pillow talk. A direction that could offer the band a second great album if they take a leaf out of Gareth Campesinos book and are bolder with the pen.

Check out the video below:

With you by my side, Everything will be all right

The XX - Open Eyes

The XX’s self titled debut was a nocturnal album, best listened to in the comfort of a dimly lit room at stupid o’clock at night. At first listen Open Eyes, a taster demo of their second LP, is more of the same. The recording is sparse with a whisper of speaker hiss in the background making it more intimate sounding than their previous recordings. Croft’s vocals fit perfectly, sung with in a breathless hush that warms and shimmers like flecks of dust given shape by rays of sunlight. Each listen evokes memories of mornings spent in bed with lovers and the comforting feeling of waking up next to someone you know cares for you. Essentially it’s still the XX as you’ve always known them, but this time it’s morning after the night before, and it’s every bit as beautiful.