Waves crash along the shore at night, each louder than the last.

The rest of the world is silent. Tranquil, even. The only sound that you can hear is the waves ebbing and flowing against the beach. This is the imagery evoked by The xx on their debut album, xx. Its sparse, minimal sound fills your heart with soothing melodies and an incredible sense of self-belonging. Like the sound of waves on the shore, there’s something incredibly calming about xx.

On their debut album, The xx find solace in silence, allowing the music to speak for itself across a free-flowing atmosphere of ambiance. This unique take on indie music allowed them to carve a world of their own in British independent music. The band spans genre and style to deliver heartfelt, emotional confessions of love and longing across 11 tracks and nearly 40 minutes of polished, perfected sound. It’s quiet, yet attentive. Sparse, yet vast. Cold, and incredibly vulnerable. It’s an exercise in honesty; something that is often imitated, but rarely mastered.

Aesthetics

The xx’s sparse, stripped-down sound on their debut was unlike anything of its kind. This minimalist take on production, complete with reverb guitars, haunting vocals, and powerful ambiance, set xx apart from the average indie album. The album incorporates a variety of genres into its sound; if you listen carefully, you can catch house, electronica, R&B, shoegaze, and even hip hop influences. Their melancholic, moody melodies earned them comparisons to the Cocteau Twins and Mazzy Star; as far as contemporaries go, The xx seem to have found themselves in good company.

Where Aesthetics Work: The production on Islands provides listeners with the perfect dissertation on what makes The xx so so special. It’s got everything: a catchy guitar melody, sweet, personal lyrics, and an incredible outro that will stay stuck in your head for days. Everything about this song works; even the little supplementary sounds Jamie Smith throws in. It’s one of The xx’s busiest songs, but it’s still able to use the minimalist approach to deliver a powerhouse of a song.

Lyricism

The main theme of xx, intimacy, is prevalent from start to finish. It manifests itself on a variety of personal and powerful lyrics. From the stark, heart-wrenching chorus of Shelter to the powerful oath to love on Islands, each song shines a different light on intimacy. The personal connection that the trio feels to each of these songs is quite apparent; you can hear Romy Madley Croft’s voice crack on several occasions on Stars. Oliver Sim’s haunting voice on Fantasy is intentionally obscured by the production to mask his pain. Every flaw and focus is intentional with The xx’s lyricism.

Best Lyrics: VCR is a sweet, starry-eyed take on early love. Backed by a catchy xylophone melody and a complementary guitar melody, Croft and Sim compare and contrast vast acts of love with simple activities. Whether it’s watching movies on a VCR or diving off a pier, the two are content to enjoy the time with their loves. They don’t care whether it’s a grand gesture or a laid-back day; to them, any activity with their loved one is special.

Personality

The chemistry between the three artists is undeniable; it manifests itself in tiny, but noticeable shifts in sound. You can catch it as the two singers dance between verses, using their respective instruments to elevate the other’s respective sounds. Backed by Jamie Smith’s mastery of the soundboard, each song on xx feels like the result of a symbiotic relationship. The trio is able to assemble intimate art across an impressively diverse debut with their ability to work with one another. It can be hard to maintain a group when egos play their part, but The xx do a remarkable job of allowing each artist to flourish on their own.

Where Personality Works: The entire album is the band’s chemistry in action, making itself most apparent on songs like Crystalised. The song tells two separate stories; one of a woman eager to move forward from the past, and the other of a man who can’t quite let go. The song eventually ends with the two singing their separate verses over the other, attempting to gain the upper hand. The duo compares and contrasts love to crystallization. Where some may view crystals as gorgeous works of art, another may interpret it as a forceful attempt to create something beautiful.

Versatility

The album is made for small, intimate spaces. With this in mind, it’s imperative to experience it in a personal and introspective environment. Whether it’s by the beach at night (as the intro suggests) or on a short drive to your happy place, this is an album for the little moments. The moments that might not seem important at first, but you come to cherish as time goes on. If given time, you’ll begin to manifest your own meanings and interpretations to the lyrics, creating an experience wholly you.

Where to Listen: A few suggestions above should give you a starting point, but if I were you, I’d follow the beach suggestion. If you’ve got the opportunity, Intro is gorgeous when backed by the sounds of the waves. You’d be hard-pressed to find a sonic experience that quite matches it. If it’s colder or you aren’t able to access a beach, put on Islands and try drawing a picture of how the song makes you feel. You might be surprised at the result.

Quality

The sound of xx is so polished and personal that it feels like it’s being played right in front of you. This is a band that’s worked to perfect their sound for years. It’s quite clear that all of their songs have a very personal touch; this is what happens when three lifelong friends divulge their deepest anxieties and fears in an open and accepting environment. It touches the heart and soothes the soul. xx is the kind of album that’s made for healing. Whether you’re suffering from heartbreak or need some time to think, it makes for a wonderful soundtrack when you need to put your brain to work.

Highest Quality: It may not feature any lyrics, but the album’s Intro is some of the band’s strongest (and most popular) work to date. Starting out with nothing but a guitar, supporting sounds begin to build on one another until the song reaches its peak. Bass drums, guitar reverb, supporting bass, and a haunting hum accompany our lead guitar as it dredges up well-hidden emotions without uttering a single word. Intro doesn’t need to use a single word to elicit an emotional reaction. It’s no wonder it’s the band’s highest-grossing song; it’s simply beautiful.

Conclusions

As far as debut albums go, The xx more than delivered on xx, pouring their heart and soul out on every track. Their uniquely minimal style can be somewhat of an acquired taste for new fans, but, like coffee, it’s wonderfully addictive. The few misses on the album (Basic Space‘s claustrophobic, caustic sound comes to mind) are greatly outweighed by its impressive use of negative space. Minimalism is an art form that transcends visual and sensory experience. With xx, minimalism was able to establish its foothold in the musical world, providing ample evidence that sparse doesn’t always mean simple.

Final Score: 8.6 Sparse Sounds/10

The xx is great at making music that heals; learn how music can heal you to help you feel better on a bad day. If you like the minimalist sound of xx, you’ll probably enjoy Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens; it’s made with ambiance in mind. This also means you’ll probably also enjoy For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver. Don’t forget to subscribe to get album analysis delivered directly to you!