At the age of just 15, Romy and Oliver formed a duet; Jamie joined soon after. In 2009, The xx released their debut album under the title xx with the British independent record label Young Turks. Overall, xx had a great reception, with it ranking as number nine on Rolling Stone’s list of the best albums of the year.
The xx was also featured on MTV’s “Top 10 Bands with Buzz” that same year. xx was produced by the band members themselves in a small garage. Nonetheless, not long after, in August of that same year, they were headlining their own concert tour. They played throughout Europe alongside other artists and came to North America to play at Coachella, Sasquatch!, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits.
Right away, The xx’s songs were everywhere. From television shows like 90210 and Suits, to the Karl Lagerfeld fall/winter fashion show in 2011, to coverage of the United Kingdom’s 2010 general election and the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
With so much success already in the bag, The xx started working on a second album, which was released on Sept. 11, 2012. Since the young band members were back in their own hometowns to continue to live their normal lives, Coexist was highly influenced by club music, which was a little different from their first album but was still received fairly well.
The xx just released their third studio album titled I See You on Jan. 13. It came after much anticipation, because the band had taken longer to finish it than promised. They still pleased their fans before the release date with a shared playlist and extensive tour dates.
Once released, fans jumped for joy. Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone writes, “the way the vocals are strung between hope and hurt feels especially intense, as if the singers are characters in a modern noir romance”. Top rated songs include “On Hold,” “I Dare You” and “Say Something Loving.” The xx have not lost their touch.
As of now, The xx are in Europe, touring their way through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Austria, among many other gorgeous countries that sound more fun to be in than the Brody Reading Room.
The xx have only continued to prove that they are worth all the hype that they are getting. If you haven’t heard any of their new songs yet, then I highly recommend you pick up their new album or catch them live when they come to the U.S.
They return to this side of the globe after numerous appearances in the United Kingdom, first appearing in South America (Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Chile) and then heading up to the United States for a tour starting in Indio, Calif.
Catch The xx as they stop in Columbia, Md. for a performance at the Merriweather Post Pavilion. Additional stops will be in Philadelphia and New York. They head back to Europe at the end of May to continue their tour in Barcelona, Spain and travel through a few more amazing countries. Who isn’t jealous of their talent and lives abroad?
