The xx

The xx are an English indie pop band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), and Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production). They are known for their distinctive minimalist sound blending indie rock, indie electronic, indie pop, dream pop and electro-rock and the dual-vocalist set-up of Madley Croft and Sim. Their music employs soft echoed guitar, prominent bass, light electronic beats and ambient soundscape backgrounds.

The band was formed in 2005 whilst Madley Croft and Sim were students at Elliott School, with Baria Qureshi (keyboard, guitar) and Smith joining in 2006. After posting demos on their Myspace page, the band drew the attention of the Beggars Group-owned label Young Turks (now Young). Working with producer Rodaidh McDonald, the band released their debut album, xx, in August 2009. The album was a commercial and critical success, reaching number three on the UK Albums Chart, ranking first for The Guardian's and second for NME's best of the year lists among others, and winning the Mercury Prize in 2010. After their debut, Qureshi left the group.

Their second album, Coexist, was released on 5 September 2012 to positive reviews, reaching number one in the UK and number five on the Billboard 200. After a four-year lapse between releases, including Smith's solo debut in 2015, In Colour, the band released their third album, I See You, on 13 January 2017, which debuted to critical acclaim and reached number one in the UK and number two on the Billboard 200.

History

2005–2009: Formation

The band formed while studying at Elliott School, the same school attended by Hot Chip, Burial, Four Tet, actor Pierce Brosnan, and Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green. Though Madley Croft and Sim had been friends since the age of 3, meeting at nursery school. Madley Croft downplayed media reports of the school's influence on their careers: "A teacher from Elliott who had never even taught us said how great we were. It's a bit annoying. We were left alone, more than anything — although I'm sure that helped us in its own way." Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft (born 1989) started the band as a duo when they were 15. In 2006, guitarist Baria Qureshi joined once they had begun performing, with Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx, also joining that year. They all studied GCSE Music together. The band were taken on by Caius Pawson, who founded the label. Young provided the band with a studio in Ladbroke Grove to develop their music. Whilst there has been much speculation over the meaning of the band's name, the band have said they just liked the way "the xx" looked written down.

2009–2011: xx and Qureshi's departure

The xx's debut album xx was released on 14 August 2009 through the British independent record label Young Turks, and was met with critical acclaim. The album ranked on best of the year lists, ranking ninth on the Rolling Stone list and second for NME. In the 2009 NME The Future 50 list, the xx was positioned at number six, and in October 2009, it was named one of MTV Iggy's "Top 10 Bands with Buzz" (at the CMJ Music Marathon 2009). "Crystalised" was featured on iTunes (UK) as Single of the Week, starting from 18 August 2009.

Though the band had previously worked with producers including Diplo and Kwes, Smith produced xx and co-mixed with Rodaidh McDonald. The xx recorded its first album in a small garage that was part of the XL Recordings studio, often at night.