CULTURE
Electro-Indie Trailblazers The xx Return With New Album and Single “On Hold”
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The elusive trio is back with their first album since 2012 and share jubilant first single.
Published on November 11, 2016

When the London, England-based electronic group The xx released their self-titled studio debut in 2009, they quickly became a staple in the rising minimalist music scene. After finding themselves on the top of many best of 2009 lists, the band began working on their following album, the equally critically acclaimed 2012 release Coexist.   

Now, four years later, The xx is returning with a newly announced album, entitled I See You, which will be released on January 13 via Young Turks. Produced by band members Jamie xx and Rodaidh McDonald, the upcoming 10-track release was recorded over a two-year period. The announcement came on the heels of the majorly disappointing US election, and the band expressed hope that their album will help spread the much-needed love. 

 

To prepare fans for their forthcoming record, the three-piece band recently released the single “On Hold”, a mesmerizing track that matches the minimalistic magic of their past collection of work. Though the new song is reminiscent of the elusive nature found in Coexist, “On Hold” is also influence by the more vibrant sound of Jamie xx’s latest solo project In Colour

On top of the producers unique backdrop, which samples the Hall and Oates song “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)”, guitarist Romy Madley-Croft and bassist Oliver Sim trade off lyrical duties in a classic xx-styled duet. The lyrics follow a pattern of heartbreak and the loss of youth, which Madley-Croft encapsulates perfectly in her hard-hitting lines, “The stars and the charts and the cards make sense only when we want them to/When I lie awake staring into space/I see a different view.”

Needless to say, fans should be pumped for this highly-anticipated album, which will follow their newly announced tour dates that begins later this month in Croatia and continues on to various cities across the world (no US dates announced yet). You can also catch The xx on today’s episode of Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show.  

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Tyler Koslow
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Tyler Koslow is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer with an intensive focus on technology, music, pop culture, and of course, cannabis and its impending legalization.
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