Young TurksThe xx's new album, I See You, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, a career high for the band. I See You is easily the most celebratory-sounding of the English trio's three studio efforts. As bassist and vocalist Oliver Sim explains, the album's more cheerful tone was inspired by The xx's beat-maker and producer Jamie Smith's solo career.
"Both sonically and in the words, we wanted those brighter moments," Sim tells ABC Radio. "Me and [guitarist/vocalist] Romy [Madley Croft] had gone to Jamie's DJ sets and seen him making people dance, hands up in the air, and I think we felt slightly envious. We wanted that, and we didn't really have so many of those moments."
However, writing a happy song came as a bit of a challenge to The xx.
"It's so easy to slip into corny, quite cheesy territory," Sim says. "Also, I think, most people are a lot more inspired to write in those moments of heartbreak. So it was something we went out of our way to do, but it was quite hard."
I See You still contains many of the darker, sadder lyrical themes present on The xx's first two albums, and they're often hidden in those brighter sonic moments. Take, for example, the Hall & Oates-sampling lead single "On Hold."
"Some of my favorite moments on this album are songs that can make people dance, but aren't necessarily joyous songs when it comes to the words," Sim explains. "Like 'On Hold,' people can dance to it, but if they actually listen to it, it's a little bit tragic."
I See You is out now.
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