The xx

The xx are a trio formed in 2005 at London, England. The band members are Romy Madley Croft (vocals, lead guitar), Oliver Sim (vocals, bass guitar), and Jamie Smith (Jamie xx) (beats, MPC sampler). Second guitarist and keyboardist Baria Qureshi is no longer a member of the group. Some reports claimed exhaustion was the culprit, but Sim said in an interview that it was a calculated decision made by the rest of the band.

Bonding over a shared love of dark, emotive 80s guitar sounds and the high-end sheen of American R&B, The xx’s unique sound befits a band whose wide range of influences combine beautiful, hushed vocal duets and a brilliantly inventive use of samples and low-end frequencies to produce stark, sweet, melancholic pop.

The group released their debut album xx on 17 August 2009. The album was recorded in a small garage and produced by the band. It garnered critical acclaim and has been generally well-received, scoring an average of 86/100 based on 24 professional reviews. Also it ranked on “best of the year” lists with Rolling Stone placing it at #9 and NME placing it at #2. CNN recently did a profile package piece on the band.

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