The XX Interview: SXSW 2010

On the strength of its stunning 2009 self-titled debut, the XX has emerged as one of the UK's hottest young bands. Formed in 2005 by four teenage chums, the group specializes in eavesdrop pop -- a stark, sexy rock-soul sound that, thanks to the breathy interplay of singers Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft, drifts from the speakers like overheard conversation. Having survived the departure of founding keyboardist Baria Qureshi, the quartet-turned-trio will spend 2010 touring with JJ and Hot Chip, and performing at such festivals as SXSW and Bonnaroo. Spinner spoke with chief beat maker and producer Jamie Smith about touring, UK bass music and the wonder of Roman numerals.

Describe your sound in your own words.

We generalize, and people can make up their own mind. We usually just say pop.

How did your band form?

It was formed in secondary school, in the summer, when we were 16. We started playing live shows. There used to be four of us, and now we're down to three.

How has going from a quartet to a trio changed the dynamic?

It's made it better, because we used to just play the music as it was recorded. It was getting a bit stale on stage, so the fact we had to change things up meant we could also experiment on the stage and make it a lot more fun for us.

As many have noted, you have something of a minimalist sound. Is it ever hard to get the songs across at large venues?

Well, it used to be a challenge. When we were starting out, we had gigs at club nights where it was one o'clock in the morning, and people just wanted to dance and talk and drink, and it was hard to get across. When we're playing to a crowd that wants to hear us, that's a bit easier.

What are your musical influences?

We all have very different influences. Personally, I started listening to soul music, and then I got really into hip-hop, because of the samples, and the UK bass music that's coming out of London.

Who are some of the UK bass artists you like? What are the other band members into?

This one guy James Blake, who is really releasing some really good stuff this year, and last year. For Romy, she was, when we met, listening to a lot of rock music, like the Distillers and Queens of the Stone Age. And we now listen to each other's stuff as well. But we went through phases with disco and all of it. I think Oliver started out listening to R&B.

How did you come up with the band name?

The band name came before the music. The band was started as something fun, and it needed a name, so Romy liked the letter "x" and just put it together. The fact we were all 20 when the XX came out was a big deal, because "XX" is 20 in Roman numerals. And it's quite ambiguous, and it's also, like, an obvious logo.

Beatles or Stones?

You can't decide. They both have their strong periods.

Which is a bigger influence on the XX?

I guess it would be the Beatles.

What is the craziest thing you've experienced while on tour?

I think the fact of just going on tour and going to all these crazy places. Less than a year ago we weren't expecting anything. We were just making albums to have the MP3s to document what was going on.