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9.1
92378
9.1 |
A.V. Club
The most eclectic, multidimensional, and ambitious album of The xx’s young career
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9.1
92466
9.1 |
Pretty Much Amazing
A calculated, but deeply exciting creative leap forward
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9.0
92460
9.0 |
PopMatters
Building off Jamie xx's In Colour, the xx have at last escaped from their own self-imposed limitations
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9.0
92327
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
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9.0
92281
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
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9.0
92996
9.0 |
Mixmag
The xx have undergone a gentle makeover, but what lies at their heart remains the same
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8.6
92555
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
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8.5
92283
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
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8.4
92330
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
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8.3
92248
8.3 |
Consequence Of Sound
The revamped London trio trades awkwardness and anxiety for ambition
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8.0
92249
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
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8.0
92250
8.0 |
Mojo
More nuanced and upbeat than their previous records but, perhaps shrewdly, it enhances their blueprint rather than completely redrawing it
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8.0
92253
8.0 |
The FT
A deft evolution in the band’s sound, with songs layered with slow-motion bass and spidery guitar beats
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8.0
92269
8.0 |
The Observer
The xx have come out of their shell for their least insular album yet – but don’t expect Justin Bieber
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8.0
92245
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
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8.0
92246
8.0 |
NME
Fragility and self-doubt are still themes. Indeed, the highlight is Romy’s pensive, vulnerable ballad ‘Performance’
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8.0
92335
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
Finds the xx illustrating the challenges of love and heartache through a vibrant new sonic palette
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8.0
92382
8.0 |
All Music
I See You is some of their most captivating music since their debut
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8.0
92385
8.0 |
DIY
An album that puts the trio’s shy status under the microscope
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8.0
92389
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
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8.0
92464
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
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8.0
92452
8.0 |
NOW
The xx have always been concise pop songwriters, but now they seem interested in approaching the gates of pop nirvana
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8.0
92453
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
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8.0
92295
8.0 |
Onlike
Definitely a return to form
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8.0
92296
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
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8.0
92477
8.0 |
Q
Everything is turned up - not to 11, of course - but certainly to beyond a whisper. Print edition only
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8.0
92484
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
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8.0
92491
8.0 |
The Arts Desk
There is a whole lot more sparkle in the high frequencies, and a lot more dance music drive
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8.0
92507
8.0 |
Beardfood
Once again it’s all about that unmatched gloomy atmosphere, restraint, and those beautifully understated voices
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8.0
92538
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Even On Hold’s cheesy Hall & Oates sample can’t conceal the underlying minor-key mood of this glorious comeback
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8.0
92369
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
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7.2
92392
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
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7.0
92493
7.0 |
Spectrum Culture
The xx is something greater than originally anticipated
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7.0
92391
7.0 |
The 405
The album becomes a document of progress that sometimes loses the emotional and tactile clarity of xx and Coexist
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7.0
92336
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
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7.0
92343
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
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7.0
92344
7.0 |
Exclaim
I See You points the way forward for The xx, who sound like they've finally seen the light.
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7.0
92247
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
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7.0
92284
7.0 |
Loud And Quiet
The xx’s heavily hinted-at pop confidence has arrived, to frequently exhilarating and occasionally deflating effect
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6.0
92358
6.0 |
The Irish Times
The xx walk the line between groove and silence on I See You
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6.0
92487
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
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3.0
92438
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
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