Another quality blank stare from The xx, seeming to come form a place of dead-pan transfixture. The pensive “Sunset” quietly cries out the pain felt when people separate and grow apart. Rich with soul, female vocalist Madley Croft pouts, “After all that we had, we act like we never met.” The lyrical concept of “Sunset” fits perfectly into the male/female duet vocals, each member playing the character of one of the people breaking up. The verse bass line slides tastefully, surrounded by cavernous guitar work. As always, The xx move the music slowly and arrange instruments conscientiously, which allows for some meditative qualities to develop.
Following 2009’s gigantic self-titled debut, The xx released Coexist in September. Much like their first album, The xx of 2012 sounds somberly sedated. Despite dropping 1.2 Pitchfork points from the last album, Coexist does seem to throw more caution to the wind. Songs like “Sunset,” “Chained,” or “Angels” are not afraid to be stripped down to at times only vocals and beats. This makes it uprising to hear the groups percussionist, Jamie xx, explain how Coexist was heavily influenced by club music. During the recording he stated: “we’ve all come back off tour and been partying a bit more.” The new album certainly does not sound like a very fun party; one would expect a much more lively and celestial sound when thinking about a heavy club music influence. Either way, The xx of 2012 shows no fear in the experimentation and expansion of their sound.
At the ripe age of 23, The xx move forward into a more comfortable and confident musical space, continuing to produce bare-bones indie pop that will frequently be remixed into countless other songs. With several solo-projects already branching out of The xx, there is plenty of potential for this London group to flourish and grow in the future.