The xx – xx

If ‘spectral pop’ is to be the tag that follows London quartet The xx and their debut album, then they can probably rest easy as it’s not entirely unfitting. Drum machines flutter and skip beats, guitars are sparse and echo-heavy whilst strange ethereal sounds hum in the back of the mix and, indeed, your consciousness.

Twin lead vocalists Romy Croft and Oliver Sim spar like jaded urban, habitually bored lovers throughout, and lines like “I think I’m losing where you end and I begin” seem to sum up a lot about their shared style and the organic flow of the album in general. But yes, at its heart xx is a pop record, brimming with slow-burning melodies and occasional rousing choruses. In some alternative reality, The xx are currently dominating the pop charts whilst The Ting Tings stalk the cold, hard streets, busking for coppers.