Drawing on influences as widespread as The Cure and Aaliyah, south London cool kids The XX make super chilled indie with more than a touch of soul. ‘Basic Space’ is no exception – Oliver and Romy’s silky, husky vocals reverberate in a call and answer over stabbing synths and a loose, low bass line.
An odd kind of love song ‘Basic Space’s arrangement is minimalistic and a little melancholic, yet features breathy, alluring lines like ‘I think I’m losing where you end and I begin’, hinting that there is something a little warmer to be found below The XX’s icy exterior.

By Sophie Thomsett

Rating: 8/10
Format: Single
Label: Young Turks
www.myspace.com/thexx