Highest Recent Ratings

Albums to watch

I See You

The xx

I See You

Third album of indie rock / dream pop from the London trio recorded in LA and Iceland and produced by Jamie xx and Rodaidh McDonald

ADM rating[?]

7.8

Label
Young Turks
UK Release date
13/01/2017
US Release date
13/01/2017
Listen on Spotify
Related Links
Last.fm Myspace Wikipedia
Share
Share |

  1. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    The most eclectic, multidimensional, and ambitious album of The xx’s young career
    Read Review

  2. 9.1 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    A calculated, but deeply exciting creative leap forward
    Read Review

  3. 9.0 |   PopMatters

    Building off Jamie xx's In Colour, the xx have at last escaped from their own self-imposed limitations
    Read Review

  4. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    The xx have taken in all the experiences and lessons they have learned since their breakthrough and come up with their most adventurous and quietly uplifting release to date
    Read Review

  5. 9.0 |   Clash

    It’s intimate and minimal, sure, but also expansive when it needs to be, switching twilight hues for something a little brighter
    Read Review

  6. 9.0 |   Mixmag

    The xx have undergone a gentle makeover, but what lies at their heart remains the same
    Read Review

  7. 8.6 |   Earbuddy

    This is some of the band’s best writing to date, and Jamie amplifies the soul of I See You via his choice of samples and textures
    Read Review

  8. 8.5 |   Under The Radar

    Perhaps it's their particular use of reverb or their consistently jarring words, but after eight years as a band, The xx still expertly know how to take you on an emotional joyride
    Read Review

  9. 8.4 |   Pitchfork

    Attempts to incorporate everyone’s talents into a new version of their sound, one true to their roots but richer and more varied
    Read Review

  10. 8.3 |   Consequence Of Sound

    The revamped London trio trades awkwardness and anxiety for ambition
    Read Review

  11. 8.0 |   Uncut

    The xx have expanded their horizons without sacrificing any of the emotional intimacy that makes them one of the most compelling acts around
    Read Review

  12. 8.0 |   Mojo

    More nuanced and upbeat than their previous records but, perhaps shrewdly, it enhances their blueprint rather than completely redrawing it
    Read Review

  13. 8.0 |   The FT

    A deft evolution in the band’s sound, with songs layered with slow-motion bass and spidery guitar beats
    Read Review

  14. 8.0 |   The Observer

    The xx have come out of their shell for their least insular album yet – but don’t expect Justin Bieber
    Read Review

  15. 8.0 |   The Independent

    Jamie Smith has picked up a few new tricks as a solo artist, not to mention a Mercury Prize nomination of his own, and fuels I See You with the vibrant energy he brought to his album In Colour
    Read Review

  16. 8.0 |   NME

    Fragility and self-doubt are still themes. Indeed, the highlight is Romy’s pensive, vulnerable ballad ‘Performance’
    Read Review

  17. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Finds the xx illustrating the challenges of love and heartache through a vibrant new sonic palette
    Read Review

  18. 8.0 |   All Music

    I See You is some of their most captivating music since their debut
    Read Review

  19. 8.0 |   DIY

    An album that puts the trio’s shy status under the microscope
    Read Review

  20. 8.0 |   Gig Soup

    With their third full-length album, I See You, London’s trio The xx have managed to kick off 2017 with more vibrancy, heart and poetic fusions, whilst maintaining an undoubtedly individual presence in the music industry
    Read Review

  21. 8.0 |   God Is In The TV

    They are still the same black-clothed wearing awkward Londoners but this time they’re fishing in a bigger pond
    Read Review

  22. 8.0 |   NOW

    The xx have always been concise pop songwriters, but now they seem interested in approaching the gates of pop nirvana
    Read Review

  23. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    It’s always been about teamwork with The xx, but never before have they embraced the potential of their respective strengths like this
    Read Review

  24. 8.0 |   Onlike

    Definitely a return to form
    Read Review

  25. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    For perhaps the first time, Sim and Romy sound comfortable in their dual 'frontpeople' roles, bringing a swagger and performance to their music which in its place used to be intimacy and charming timidness
    Read Review

  26. 8.0 |   Q

    Everything is turned up - not to 11, of course - but certainly to beyond a whisper. Print edition only

  27. 8.0 |   State

    I See You is the strongest xx-related project since their debut, a creative solution to what could have been a sonic dead-end
    Read Review

  28. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    There is a whole lot more sparkle in the high frequencies, and a lot more dance music drive
    Read Review

  29. 8.0 |   Beardfood

    Once again it’s all about that unmatched gloomy atmosphere, restraint, and those beautifully understated voices
    Read Review

  30. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Even On Hold’s cheesy Hall & Oates sample can’t conceal the underlying minor-key mood of this glorious comeback
    Read Review

  31. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    While the album still revolves around Madley-Croft and Sim’s intimate vocals and the kind of distinctive Madley-Croft guitar lines that pop artists spent much of last year ripping off, I See You is noticeably more sample-driven than its predecessors
    Read Review

  32. 7.2 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    I See You is a pleasant enough listen, and in embracing Smith’s more hot-blooded production, the xx have avoided becoming stuck in a rut a second time
    Read Review

  33. 7.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    The xx is something greater than originally anticipated
    Read Review

  34. 7.0 |   The 405

    The album becomes a document of progress that sometimes loses the emotional and tactile clarity of xx and Coexist
    Read Review

  35. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    The xx have never been so unguarded, either emotionally or in their musical ambitions. The result is as haunting as ever
    Read Review

  36. 7.0 |   The Music

    The xx come at us with a fresh new sound but, more than ever, their music has less to do with chromosomes and delivers two gentle kisses onto listeners' cheeks
    Read Review

  37. 7.0 |   Exclaim

    I See You points the way forward for The xx, who sound like they've finally seen the light.
    Read Review

  38. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Rather than recoil into the shadows, the album sees the London three-piece fully exposed as they step out of the darkness and into the light, reflecting life’s lessons with a radical new sound that works to varying effect
    Read Review

  39. 7.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    The xx’s heavily hinted-at pop confidence has arrived, to frequently exhilarating and occasionally deflating effect
    Read Review

  40. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    The xx walk the line between groove and silence on I See You
    Read Review

  41. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    The xx take a confident and assertive step forward on their third album, but run into a few growing pains along the way
    Read Review

  42. 3.0 |   Crack

    Self-conscious, insincere melodrama reigns on I See You, and those pressured silences that were once The xx’s trademark have lost their power
    Read Review

  43. Back to main chart

blog comments powered by Disqus
buy it at amazon download it from itunes

Watch it

Roll over video for more options

Hear it

Preview & download it

The xx: I See You

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. Dangerous £0.89
  • 2. Say Something Loving £0.89
  • 3. Lips £0.89
  • 4. A Violent Noise £0.89
  • 5. Performance £0.89
  • 6. Replica £0.89
  • 7. Brave For You £0.89
  • 8. On Hold £0.89
  • 9. I Dare You £0.89
  • 10. Test Me £0.89
  • Service provided by 7Digital

Latest Reviews

Mark Knopfler  One Deep River

Anyone who’s missed the sound of the sometime Dire Straits man expertly working the fretboard will find much to love on his first new album in six years musicOMH

Mark Knopfler  One Deep River

Feels like a highly personal statement, a real labour of love. Rooted in classic American songwriting, it feels humble, and often moving – when Mark Knopfler permits himself to cut loose, there’s a lot here to be swept away by Clash

Mark Knopfler  One Deep River

One Deep River closes with its poignant title track, a paean to an enduring landmark he has no doubt crossed countless times in a life well spent as a traveling musician All Music

More reviews

All-time top 10

Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past twelve years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.

  1. 9.3

    Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly

  2. 9.2

    Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters

  3. 9.1

    Kendrick Lamar Damn.

  4. 9.1

    D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah

  5. 9.0

    Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen

  6. 9.0

    Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure

  7. 8.9

    Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways

  8. 8.9

    Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree

  9. 8.9

    Frank Ocean Channel Orange

  10. 8.9

    Dave We’re All Alone In This Together

See full list