Romy’s first solo album was finally released on Friday, September 8th. Average air (Young/Himself). But I must admit that until recently I was hoping that suddenly, as often happens lately, a new album by The xx would be unexpectedly announced.
However, all the clues led to a completely different conclusion, despite the fact that the trio of Jamie, Oliver and Romy hang out very often.
I see you it started six years ago and the last time I saw them in The xx mode was around this period on the Assago forum.
Jamie xx was the first to create solo music at the time.. Already in 2015 a wonderful In flowers. Instead, we waited until 2020 for Romy Madeley Croft’s first song to be released. Lifespan, where there was no trace of the minimal imprinting and those typical light, dark and romantic tones of his group. Instead he launched into a kind of sparkling Eurodisco with references to late ’80s New Order, an even more sensational song in the Plannintorock remix.
Last year, it was Oliver Sim’s turn to celebrate his debut without his band with a very special album. Disgusting bastard. The handsome, dark-haired bassist revealed to us, albeit in a quiet voice, the darkest moments of his personal life. A “therapeutic” album, but at the same time decidedly elegant in production, with great sound. Launch loans.
Listen Average airRomy’s solo album
Romy’s desire to dance
Pregnancy Average airRomy’s first solo album was surprisingly long.. As he recently told the New York Times, the starting point was to completely let go of all his fears and insecurities, immersing himself in the liberating sounds of dance and pop.
The turning point was a 2018 meeting with Fred Gibson, a rising DJ/producer under the name Fred Again.capable of showcasing a new version of a particular house stutter with clearly euphoric tones. This was the right antidote for Romy.
Thanks to the push of Jamie XX and the blossoming of a new love, at the age of 34 Romy frees her creativity, further developing the dance signs of pop music. Lifespan. Romy’s debut album features not only Fred Again…, but also a now experienced producer such as Stuart Price (who worked with Madonna and had a very cool project under the pseudonym Jacques Lu Comte in the 90s). And now we’re finally leaving Average air.
Review
This album brings together the not so distant past of club life and brings it back into the present.. Weightlessthis is a perfect example. Among the songs you can hear hints of European house of the 90s, referencing noble examples like Daft Punk or more commercial ones like Spiller (in Enjoy your life find the remains Grovejet).
IN She’s on my mind airy Eurodisco reappears, as happened with the 2020 single, and the synthesizer Strong recalls Faithless.
However, 4/4 rhythms acquire a special charm thanks to the veiled melancholy timbre that Romy possesses. I remember in the fall of 2009, a few days after The xx’s first album came out, I casually asked her if she was a Tracy Thorne fan. She told me that absolutely yes, she was one of the artists her parents listened to the most. In the recordings of “Everyone But the Girl” he found something like comfort zones emotional.
Perhaps not everyone knows that Romy lost both her parents when she was still in her early twenties.. Thinking about this tragic event while listening gives me goosebumps. Enjoy your lifewhich was a sort of motto that her mother repeated to her when she was still alive.
Euphoric melodies Average airThe often shrill tones of Romy’s voice and her pop sensibility (remember, she’s written for artists like Dua Lipa and OneRepublic) make this album the perfect soundtrack for a man who doesn’t know exactly how to get out of the maze of his feelings, but he’s enjoying life , dancing to a great disco.