In an industry in which it’s held that the way to get ahead is to pump out an unceasing flow of releases – the better to keep your audience engaged in a world packed with distractions – there’s something perversely pleasing about the xx’s aloof reserve. Their last album came out more than six years ago; they last played live in 2018. They clearly haven’t split up – their social media is filled with recent photos of the trio in various combinations – but a follow-up to I See You looks a long way off. “Blink twice if you’re making new music,” posted one desperate fan beneath an Instagram clip of Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft cuddling on a Paris balcony.
