The xx return with their third full-length album, ‘I See You’ on Friday, January 13, and it looks as if the critics are lapping the record up. Currently (at time of writing) with a score of 84 on Metacritic, we’ve decided to delve into some of the reviews that make up the score and find out what’s being said about the trio’s most-recent piece of work…
The xx - 'I See You'
NME say…
“Fragility and self-doubt are still themes. Indeed, the highlight is Romy’s pensive, vulnerable ballad ‘Performance’. “I’ll put on a performance/I’ll put on a brave face,” she confesses, accompanied by a single guitar and scurrying violins. ‘I see You’ is not simply an album then, but a moment of realisation. The moment when The xx stop glancing shyly at their reflection and confront themselves in the mirror. What they discover is infectious.”
The Independent (UK) say…
“Now, inspired by the sunshine and sweeping landscapes of LA and Iceland, where they recorded I See You, the band succeed in bringing some light into the picture while also acknowledging that some of those feelings of anxiety or inadequacy are still there.”
Record Collector say…
“Whatever the ratio of heart to head, the combined effect is of a band collectively pulling together after a couple of years drifting apart. Whether it’s Romy’s songwriting with US singer Kelela, Jamie’s production work with Drake and composing the score for the ballet Tree of Codes or Oliver strutting a catwalk for Dior, the trio sound refreshed, reunited and on the same page.”
Consequence of Sound say…
“The xx and I See You so enthralling, then, may not be a particular combination of lyrics and melodies, but the notion that there’s a secret life playing out here – one we may not be entirely privy to, but one that still rings with the sound of truth in all of its complexities.”
The Line of Best Fit say…
“Once the record’s ten songs come to their conclusion, we as the listener are left slightly wanting more. The record passes by pleasantly and there is much to be commended but I See You seldom truly penetrates.”
Tagged in The xx