On 4th July, the XX filmed an intimate version of “Angels” in a Tokyo hotel room, the lead single of their recently completed second album ‘Coexist‘. Even more stark and beautiful than on record, Romy Madley-Croft‘s fragile and affecting vocal coupled with a reverberating les paul encapsulated the finest melodies from the last album whilst a new air of confidence and musicianship really shined through. Both Bass player Oliver Sim and percussionist/producer Jamie XX watched in awe as she soulfully whispered over a swelling riff.
As the first track on the new album, ‘Angels‘ is sleepy but a bold statement ahead of what is to come. It is a whispered love letter contemplated after a dream. The well picked chords and space for reverb is as powerful as anything they have come up with before.
The two songs that follow really are the best of what The XX have created in their minimalist and creative ethic. Jamie XX‘s sounds and beats have become really exciting and have become even more prominent when they need to be, carrying a song on a few simple bass drum clicks or delicate twinkles.
The dance elements of The XX have taken over this time around, but never losing those sweet, haunting melodies that made us cherish The XX so much the first time around.
“Fiction” starts with a fusion of a surf style guitar slide and a busy palm muted dance melody. Oliver Sim‘s voice too has become more brooding and stylish, still barely above a whisper but when a few prominent lines are sang in a chorus an octave higher than usual and a little more powerfully, you really get the sense of emotion and meaning.
“Chained“, much like Fiction is uptempo but with the combined duet vocals that work so well with their debut but upping their game with more interesting sounds and an addictive vocal melody.
‘Coexist‘ has kept the fantastic vocal duets and sweeping reverberations, but the elements of hip-hop and dance production have far to create more three dimensional soundscapes packed into concise modern tunes that will sound as powerful and eomtional in a festival dance tent as they would whispering through your speakers late at night.
‘Coexist‘ is out September 10th and it is my favourite record this year so far.
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Post by TR Wicks
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