It is not uncommon for bands to get over hyped with the way music gets around these days. It’s literally impossible to try everything. Most of the time I will give them a listen, and wonder why they are getting so much undeserved hype. The XX are a band that has recently experienced the entire cycle of the internet hype machine. Tons of blogs have been reppin’ their short name as of late. A pitchfork best new music review dropped last week. Good word of mouth has been spreading like rapid fire.

That’s fine and dandy, but are these things telling the truth? Is it a true indication of the band’s quality?

My answer is a resounding yes. The XX have surprised me as probably my favorite new band of the year.

The band is composed of 4 young south London guys and gals who are making music that I can honestly call fresh compared to the rest of the indie scene. There are traces of r&b, pop, and 80’s brit rock in their music. The vocals lead the tracks through the dark atmosphere that they produce. They are the lead instruments. The duo of Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim do wonders together. The songs are catchy, sexy, and raw. They are unsigned, although you would never know after hearing the insane quality of their tracks

Songs like “Crystalised” and “Basic Space” deserve to be hit on repeat until you get sick of it. You get hooked onto their voices, and the entrancing r&b influenced beats. Their debut album titled “xx” is a balanced album full of breathtaking track after breathtaking track.

They are young and full of bright ideas. This is the only the first part of the xx’s hopefully great career.

[mp3] : The XX – Crystalised

[mp3] : The XX – Basic Space

preorder their debut album here at insound!