I See You
Recommended for:
Rainy days
When you're feeling melancholy
Fans of indie-pop
Pros:
Simplistic but diverse instrumentation
Emotional sincere songwriting
Blends genres impressively
Clean production
Cons:
Not always very exciting
A few tracks fall short of potential
I See You is the third full length studio album from English indie-pop band, The xx. The record was released on January 13, 2017 through the Young Turks label. It is technically a follow-up to their second album, Coexist, which was released over four years ago BUT this album draws heavy stylistic momentum from band member Jamie xx’s 2015 solo debut, In Colour.
The xx gained their infamy though their simple, stripped-down, atmospheric pop sound. In I See You, we definitely get a taste of the past, but also a slightly more developed sense of instrumentation. The synths are still there, the reverb-drenched guitars are still there, but this time around we also get some lovely strings on tracks like “Performance”. They continue to keep the drums fairly soft and standard on most tracks, but here and there we get a taste of a more upbeat, embellished rhythm on tracks like “Dangerous” and “I Dare You”.
In addition, the vocal performances from Romy Madley Croft and Jamie Smith are much more diverse and full than we have seen so far. The duet dynamic they create on almost every song is really refreshing and something unusual for pop music. Backing choral vocals also give a good punch on “Lips”.
The songwriting is particularly enjoyable on this album! While it’s fair to say this may not be the most fun/energetic/easy to dance to music, there’s no denying that it is incredibly catchy. The guitar riffs and synth leads on almost every song are memorable and unique. The leads on tracks “Replica” and “Brave for You” were personally favorites of mine. The bass is skillfully recorded alongside the leads to blend together the electronic and acoustic sounds of the music nicely. And whatever rhythm this band lacks in drums, they always make up for in a clean and bouncy bass line. I dare you to listen to the song “I Dare You” and not tap your feet or nod your head to the beat. You might even catch yourself singing along (if you're cool enough).
Lyrically, this album again goes deeper, showing signs of true maturity from the writers. While we still get classic themes of love and heartbreak, we also get themes like insecurity and indecision. The song “Performance” tells a heart-wrenching story that interweaves these ideas and how the speaker deals with them. I would say it’s pretty much impossible to listen to this album and not feel at least a little something. Most of us, including myself, listened and felt a lot. The best songwriting always covers a range of emotions and that reigns true here.
All this being said… I think there’s definitely still room for improvement and growth from this band. A few of these tracks felt like they were on the verge of being amazing but fell a little short or were cut too early. I think this band is heading in a nice direction and will hopefully continue to develop their unique and honest sound.
My last props go to the production, which was spot on. It’s not easy to use so much atmospheric, echo-y, reverb-y production without sounding like a try-hard, cheesy, indie, wanna-be band. This band does it well, they make it cool. The Hall & Oats sample on the single “On Hold” was like the sprinkles on a cupcake to this slick and vibrant track in which The xx does everything to their best ability.
Favorite songs: “Replica”, “I Dare You”
7.7/10
