One of the few albums that usually fractious FACT staffers have been united in their affection for this summer is the eponymous offering from The xx.
Its accomplished sound belies its makers’ tender years; all melancholic, minimalist pop songs that will probably put you in mind of Chromatics and Young Marble Giants, and, furthermore, will powerfully evoke all the sad stuff that’s ever happened to you in your life. Whether you a view that as welcome or not, I couldn’t possibly say.
Many of you will already have heard their signature effort and recent single, ‘Crystallised’, but if not you can check it at their myspace, or watch the YouTube clip below. Upon hearing it, you won’t be surprised to learn that the four-piece are being looked after by the Young Turks (Wavves, Holy Fuck, Tanlines etc) and have been signed to XL; their talent is self-evident.
The combination of stripped-back, almost dubby rhythms, chiming guitars and strung-out boy-girl vocals is way more subtle, thought-out and seductive than you might expect from a bunch of artfully-coiffured kids from East London; but the appeal of The xx isn’t just restrained arrangement, it’s terrific writing: it’s a rare and welcome treat to hear a new band crafting such well-balanced, genuinely affecting songs as these right from the off.
So what’s The xx story to date?
Oliver (vocals/guitar): “I’ve known Romy since nursery and we met Jamie and Baria at secondary school when we were about 11, so we’ve been in each other’s lives for a while now. The xx didn’t really happen til we were about 15, it started with just me and Romy primarily doing covers to funky house beats. Baria joined not too long after that to help us play the songs we’d recorded live. After playing as a three-piece for a year and a bit Jamie joined to replace our backing track of beats and that’s The xx line up you see today.”
How would you describe yourselves to the uninitiated?
“I think it’s fair to say we’re pretty laid back…:
Your myspace blurb implies you’re quite into linking the underground with the overground – covering Womack & Womack, and the line about Aaliyah to CocoRosie. Is that a big thing for you?
“I feel it’s us just trying to create a middle ground between all of our tastes and music loves.”
You seem to be partial to taking on other people’s songs too. What are your favourite cover versions?
“Tina Turner’s cover of ‘I Cant Stand the Rain’ or I’m not too sure who did the original but i love The Flamingos’ version of ‘I Only Have Eyes for You’. Both songs were played continuously in my house while growing up.”
How did the Young Turks and XL hook-ups happen?
“We’ve been working with Young Turks for about two years now, they also manage us. They had just come to a few shows and offered us a place to rehearse and help get us more gigs with no other pressure of wanting to release or anything like that. It was a really early stage for us, we only had about five or six songs. Within that first year we had written twice as many songs and played twice as many shows as well as getting the chance to work with some amazing producers. It’s only in the past year that we’ve started working towards releasing anything. It feels like they’ve really given us the time and help to grow as a band.”
How long did the album take to make, and what sort of a process was it?
“The recording took about two months of intensive nights at XL’s in-house studio, during and after office hours.”
Are there any particular themes that run through the record?
“There are recurring themes of the sun, the moon, the stars, elements, time, night: all these things I find quite romantic.”
Were there any particular sounds or (ahem) feelings you wanted to convey with it?
“A lot of the songs were written and demo-ed at night, it’s when I feel like I write the best. And Jamie produced it all at night, it’s when he says he works better. So I like the idea that some of that nocturnal fatigue worked it way in.”
You had one of your own members, Jamie, produce the record – was that always the route you wanted to go down?
“Jamie has been producing, just as a passion for a few years now; he made our beats for us before he joined the band. And it seemed like an exciting and obvious idea for him to produce the album, he was very keen too. Not that we hadn’t worked with other producers before, we worked with Diplo, Lexx and Kwes. All of whom we definitely learnt a lot from: I’m sure the album wouldn’t sound the same had we not had the opportunity to work with them.”
I saw you live the other day; the sampled drums were pretty cool. Is that the case on record too, and is it done out of preference or convenience?
“The drum sampling is something that Jamie does that I really think frees up the songs, and gives much more fluidity than if they were pre-recorded. I’m not sure how he went about it on the album [laughs] you’d have to ask him. I do know that he samples a lot of his beats from records though.”
You’ve toured with Micachu and the Shapes and The Big Pink, and you’re about to go on tour with Florence and the Machine. How’s that all happened so quickly?
“It hasn’t actually felt like it’s happened quickly we’ve been playing tiny gigs in london for about two years. It’s only gradually that we’ve been lucky enough to play with such exciting bands. I’m really happy that i’m genuine fans of all these bands and it was very inspiring to spend time and watch them every night.”
Are there any particular pitfalls or peaks you’ve experienced as a band en route to this point in your career?
“Touring Europe has been a peak for us, it’s been great and exciting visiting other cities, playing to people who don’t know us and even more of a nice surprise when they do know us. The only pitfall is tiredness and sometimes not having enough time to see friends, but that’s the only thing really.”
What’s an average day like for The xx?
“It depends, if we’re on tour, it would usually involve what you could expect: hotel, van, service station, soundcheck, sitting, eating, sitting, gig, maybe some walking. If we’re at home, it would probably involve staying up all night writing or listening to music then sleeping all day and then the same. This is how I lived whilst writing the album, although since having to be up and out of places on tour, i’m losing some of my nocturnal habits.”
What music are you particularly into right now?
“Right now, i’ve been listening to a lot of Florence [and the Machine]’s album, I really like it and it makes me excited about our tour together. I recently had my laptop stolen from a hotel in Berlin and then i lost my iPod so I’ve lost all my music which is horrible, I’ve been using YouTube as a source to keep me satisfied, I can’t deal without listening to music, currently i’m listening to Kele Le Roc, ‘My Love’. It’s been on repeat all week.
What’s next for the band?
“Today we’re off to Latitude, got Secret Garden Party/Truck/Tramlines next week, and then Field Day and the Underage Festival. Then we’re going to New York to play some shows and then the album is out on August 17th!”
Cayce Pollard
