The xx I See You

After two albums of perfectly coiled indie pop, The xx open up. The intimate spaces and beautifully tessellated arrangements endure, but, perhaps owing to drummer/producer Jamie xx’s solo flowering, I See You is expansive and bright. The samples employed on “Say Something Loving” (Alessi Brothers) and “On Hold” (Hall & Oates), for example, add a new and joyous dimension to Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sims’ vocals. The Londoners remain untouchable as stripped-back, small-hours balladeers, with closer “Test Me” as halting and affecting as they’ve ever been.