What is the 2009 debut album by 2026 Lollapalooza headliner the xx? The answer is xx.
xx is the debut studio album by the English indie pop band the xx. Young Turks released it on August 14, 2009, after the group recorded much of the album between December 2008 and April 2009 at XL Recordings’ small in-house studio in West London.
The record’s intimate sound came from sparse guitar, bass, understated vocals and electronic beats produced by Jamie Smith, later known as Jamie xx. Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim often sing as a low-key duet, giving songs such as “Crystalised,” “Shelter” and “Infinity” their distinctive conversational quality.
The album initially grew through critical acclaim, touring and television placements rather than major hit singles. Its reputation expanded after the xx won the 2010 Mercury Prize, and it eventually became a sleeper success in Britain and the United States.
Coexist, released in 2012, was the band’s second album. I See You followed in 2017; In Colour is Jamie xx’s solo album, not a the xx group record.