The xx

Indie pop darlings The xx have been rocking (or indie-popping?) the charts since their self-titled debut album came out in late 2009.

Based in London, the group formed in 2005 when founding members Romy Croft and Oliver Sim were just 15. They were joined shortly thereafter by Jamie Smith, and all three remain active members of the band.

The album xx was ranked on several “Best of 2009” lists, even earning the number one slot on The Guardian newspaper’s yearly roundup. Rolling Stone magazine also ranked it the ninth best album of the year, and the album also earned the 2010 Mercury Prize, which is given annually to the best album out of the UK and Ireland.

Several tracks off the album received considerable play on TV, most notably “Intro”, which was used extensively during the NBC coverage of the Winter Olympics and was also sampled by Rihanna for her song “Drunk on Love”.

Other popular xx tracks include “Crystalised”, “Basic Space”, “Islands”, and “VCR”.

The band’s second album, Coexist, was released in late 2012.