I See You (The xx album)

I See You

Cover art for digital versions
Studio album by The xx
Released 13 January 2017 (2017-01-13)
Recorded March 2014 – August 2016
Studio
Genre
Length 39:15
Label Young Turks
Producer
The xx chronology
Coexist
(2012)Coexist2012		 I See You
(2017)
Singles from I See You
  1. "On Hold"
    Released: 10 November 2016
  2. "Say Something Loving"
    Released: 1 January 2017
  3. "I Dare You"
    Released: 2 May 2017

I See You is the third studio album by English indie pop band the xx. It was released on 13 January 2017 through the Young Turks label.[2] It is the follow-up to Coexist, and is their first release in more than four years.

The band announced the album while announcing frequent collaborator Rodaidh McDonald for its production and reportedly working on it in May 2014. Group member Jamie Smith released his solo debut In Colour in May 2015 and reflected that it would influence the sound and aesthetic of I See You.

The xx has stated that the record has a more distinctive sound and a more positive, open and "expansive" concept than the previous two albums. The lead single, "On Hold", was released on 12 November 2016. I See You received widespread acclaim from critics and became the band's second number-one album in the United Kingdom.

Recording and production

The xx announced in May 2014 that they were working on their third studio album with producer Rodaidh McDonald at Marfa Recording Co., a recording studio in Marfa, Texas.[3] According to Mixmag journalist Stephen Worthy, a "watershed" moment had occurred immediately before recording commenced when during a series of New York concerts, the trio—Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, and Jamie Smith—"barely made eye contact with their audience. It was their way of saying goodbye to the old xx". While working on I See You, Croft enrolled in a songwriting course in California, Sim modeled for Christian Dior SE, and Smith released a solo album, 2015's In Colour.[4]

Smith, the xx's producer and multi-instrumentalist, stated that In Colour "definitely informed what we're doing" for I See You, while the band said the record would have a "completely different concept" from their first two albums.[5] They also said the album would sound "more outward-looking, open and expansive".[6] I See You was described by AnyDecentMusic? as an album of indie rock and dream pop music,[7] while Matt Hobbs from God Is in the TV said the xx expanded on the dance portion of their usual fusion of indie and alternative dance sounds.[8] According to Pitchfork's November 2016 update on the album, I See You was ultimately recorded between March 2014 and August 2016 at studios in Marfa, New York City, Los Angeles, London, and Reykjavík.[2]

Promotion

The album's lead single, "On Hold", was released on 10 November 2016, premiering on the xx's YouTube account ahead of the album's release date being announced.[9] On 19 November, the band performed as the musical guest on the American sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live.[10] "Say Something Loving" was released as the second single on 1 January 2017.[11]

The xx supported I See You with a concert tour of Europe throughout February and March 2017, before performing a series of music festivals in South America, including the Estéreo Picnic Festival in Bogotá and Lollapalooza dates in Sao Paulo, San Isidro, and Santiago.[12] A North American tour will begin on 14 April at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California and conclude on 26 May in Portland, Maine.[13]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.8/10[7]
Metacritic85/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
The A.V. ClubA−[16]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[17]
The Guardian[18]
The Independent[19]
NME[20]
Pitchfork8.4/10[21]
Q[22]
Rolling Stone[23]
ViceB+[24]

I See You was released on 13 January 2017 by Young Turks to widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 85, based on 35 reviews.[14] According to Kitty Empire, it was hailed by critics as the xx's "least insular album thus far".[25] Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis said the record "pulls off the feat of managing to sound both exactly like the xx and unlike anything they have done before". He believed the band's willingness to explore musical influences from Smith's In Colour album gave the tracks a "richer and fuller" quality than on their previous records.[18] I See You was called "the most eclectic, multidimensional, and ambitious album of The xx’s young career" by Philip Cosores from The A.V. Club,[16] while Entertainment Weekly's Nolan Feeney deemed it "the boldest work yet from a band famous for subtlety".[17] In the opinion of Uncut reviewer Sam Richards, the band "expanded their horizons without sacrificing any of the emotional intimacy that makes them one of the most compelling acts around".[26] Q critic Victoria Segal noted its shared lyrical themes with Coexist and echoes of the "club culture" from In Colour, while concluding that musically, the band were "extending past glories rather than copying them".[22] Robert Christgau was somewhat less enthusiastic in his review for Vice. He found growth and accessibility in songs such as "On Hold", "Say Something Loving", and "Brave for You", but believed "however impressive their originality and skill, the details always end up getting away" throughout the album's "indistinct murmurs ... because in the end the band's shared aesthetic is so contained."[24] Will Hodgkinson was more critical in The Times, writing that the album failed to "hit the highs of their previous work" while accusing the group of posturing, making note of Croft's "breathy emoting" on "Brave for You".[27]

In the first week of release, I See You sold 26,513 copies in the United Kingdom and debuted at number one on the British albums chart. It was the band's second album to top the chart after Coexist in 2012.[28] In the United States, it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and recorded 46,000 album-equivalent units; 36,000 of these were traditional album sales.[29] In Japan, the album entered the Oricon Albums Chart at number 34 and sold 2,073 copies in its first week there.[30]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft; all music composed by Jamie Smith, Sim, and Croft; all tracks produced by Smith and Rodaidh McDonald; unless otherwise noted.

Standard version
No.TitleLength
1."Dangerous"4:10
2."Say Something Loving" (additional production by Romy Madley Croft)3:58
3."Lips"3:20
4."A Violent Noise"3:47
5."Performance" (lyrics by Croft)4:06
6."Replica"4:09
7."Brave for You" (lyrics by Croft)4:13
8."On Hold"3:44
9."I Dare You"3:53
10."Test Me" (lyrics and additional production by Croft)3:55
Total length:39:15

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[31]

The xx

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[32] 1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[33] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[34] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[35] 2
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[36] 2
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[37] 12
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[38] 3
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[39] 1
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[40] 8
French Albums (SNEP)[41] 5
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[42] 1
Greek Albums (IFPI)[43] 8
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[44] 39
Irish Albums (IRMA)[45] 1
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[46] 1
Italian Albums (FIMI)[47] 11
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[48] 34
Japanese International Albums (Oricon)[49] 8
Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)[50] 18
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[51] 3
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[52] 3
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[53] 8
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[54] 1
Scottish Albums (OCC)[55] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[56] 2
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[57] 4
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[58] 2
Taiwanese Albums (Five Music)[59] 9
UK Albums (OCC)[60] 1
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[61] 1
US Billboard 200[62] 2
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[63] 1
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[64] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[65] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] Silver 60,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ I See You (album liner notes). The xx. Young Turks. 2017.
  2. 1 2 Sodomsky, Sam; Monroe, Jazz (10 November 2016). "The xx Announce New Album I See You". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "The xx reveal third album recording sessions in Texas". NME. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  4. ↑ Worthy, Stephen (3 February 2017). "February: 18 Albums You Need to Hear This Month". Mixmag. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  5. ↑ Amy Davidson (12 May 2015). "Jamie xx has hinted at what to expect from The xx's new album". DigitalSpy. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  6. ↑ Shepherd, Jack (10 November 2016). "The XX announce new album I See You, release first single 'On Hold'". The Independent. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  7. 1 2 "I See You by The xx reviews". Any Decent Music. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  8. ↑ Hobbs, Matt (16 January 2017). "The XX – I See You (Young Turks)". God is in the TV. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  9. ↑ Young, Alex (10 November 2016). "The xx announce new album, I See You, share "On Hold" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  10. ↑ Crucchiola, Jordan (10 November 2016). "Kristen Wiig to Host Saturday Night Live With Musical Guest the xx". Vulture. Retrieved 14 November 2016 – via New York Media, LLC.
  11. ↑ Middleton, Ryan (3 January 2017). "The xx "Say Something Loving": Soothing New Single Released From 'I See You'". Music Times. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  12. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/7580463/the-xx-tour-2017-dates-i-see-you
  13. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/7647446/the-xx-north-american-tour-2017
  14. 1 2 "Reviews for I See You by The xx". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  15. ↑ Phares, Heather. "I See You – The xx". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  16. 1 2 Cosores, Philip (13 January 2017). "With the expansive I See You, The xx is ready for big stages and radio waves". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  17. 1 2 Feeney, Nolan (12 January 2017). "The xx's I See You: EW Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  18. 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (12 January 2017). "The xx: I See You review – stepping out of their own shadow". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  19. ↑ O'Connor, Roisin (5 January 2017). "Album reviews: The xx, Elbow, Run The Jewels, You Me At Six, Sundara Karma". The Independent. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  20. ↑ Cochrane, Greg (4 January 2017). "The xx – ‘I See You’ review". NME. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  21. ↑ Richardson, Mark (12 January 2017). "The xx: I See You". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  22. 1 2 Segal, Victoria (March 2017). "Let in the Light". Q (369): 109.
  23. ↑ Dolan, Jon (11 January 2017). "Review: The xx's Minimal Sound Gets Expansive Update on 'I See You'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  24. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (3 June 2017). "Robert Christgau on Cloud Nothings, The xx, and Japandroids". Vice. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  25. ↑ Empire, Kitty (8 January 2017). "The xx: I See You review – a new touch of colour". The Observer. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  26. ↑ Richards, Sam (February 2017). "The xx: I See You". Uncut (237): 22.
  27. ↑ Hodgkinson, Will (13 January 2017). "Pop: The xx: I See You". The Times. Retrieved 17 January 2017. (Subscription required (help)).
  28. ↑ Homewood, Ben (20 January 2017). "The xx debut at No.1 with new album I See You". Music Week. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  29. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (22 January 2017). "The xx Debuts at No. 2 on Billboard 200 Chart, The Weeknd Holds at No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  30. ↑ 週間　CDアルバムランキング [Weekly CD Album Ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. 23 January 2017. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  31. ↑ I See You (CD liner notes). The xx. Young Turks. 2017. YTCD161.
  32. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – The xx – I See You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  33. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The xx – I See You" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  34. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The xx – I See You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  35. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The xx – I See You" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  36. ↑ "The xx – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for The xx. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  37. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 201703 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  38. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – The xx – I See You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  39. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The xx – I See You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  40. ↑ "The xx: I See You" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  41. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The xx – I See You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  42. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The xx – I See You" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  43. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Week: 3/2017)". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  44. ↑ "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2017. 3. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  45. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The xx". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  46. ↑ "Top 20 Independent – Week Ending 20 Jan 2017". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  47. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – The xx – I See You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  48. ↑ アイ・シー・ユー | ザ・エックス・エックス [I See You | The xx] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  49. ↑ "Oricon Top 50 International Albums: 2017-01-23" (in Oricon). Oricon. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  50. ↑ "Top Album – Semanal (del 20 de Enero al 26 de Enero)" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  51. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – The xx – I See You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  52. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – The xx – I See You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  53. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  54. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – The xx – I See You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  55. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  56. ↑ "TOP 100 ALBUMES — SEMANA 3: del 13 January 2017 al 19.01.2017" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  57. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The xx – I See You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  58. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The xx – I See You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  59. ↑ "第3 週 統計時間：2017/1/13 – 2017/1/19" (in Chinese). Five-Music. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  60. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  61. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  62. ↑ "The xx – Chart history" Billboard 200 for The xx. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  63. ↑ "The xx – Chart history" Billboard Independent Albums for The xx. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  64. ↑ "The xx – Chart history" Billboard Top Alternative Albums for The xx. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  65. ↑ "The xx – Chart history" Billboard Top Rock Albums for The xx. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  66. ↑ "British album certifications – The xx – Coexist". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Coexist in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
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