The xx

The xx emerged from London's Elliott School with a spare, intimate sound built around Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim's interwoven vocals, Jamie Smith's electronic production, and arrangements that leave plenty of space around echoed guitar, bass and soft beats. Formed in 2005, the band began when Madley Croft and Sim were students, with Smith and guitarist and keyboardist Baria Qureshi joining the following year. Demos posted to Myspace brought them to the attention of Young Turks, now known as Young.

Working with producer Rodaidh McDonald, the group released its debut album, xx, in August 2009. The record reached number three on the UK Albums Chart, topped The Guardian's year-end list and placed second on NME's, then won the 2010 Mercury Prize. Qureshi left the band after the album's release, leaving Madley Croft, Sim and Smith as the core trio.

The xx followed with Coexist on 5 September 2012. The album received positive reviews, reached number one in the UK and peaked at number five on the Billboard 200. Smith released his solo debut, In Colour, in 2015, during a four-year gap between the band's albums. The xx returned on 13 January 2017 with I See You, which debuted to critical acclaim, reached number one in the UK and rose to number two on the Billboard 200.

Across its work, the band has paired indie rock songwriting with electronic detail, dream-pop atmosphere and dance-informed rhythm. Madley Croft handles guitar and vocals, Sim plays bass and sings, and Smith, also known as Jamie xx, supplies beats, MPC work and record production.