How a Song Called Replica Sounds Unique

I’m late to the party yet again when it comes to heaping praise on The XX. My relationship with this band has always been in that vein and with their third album I See You out last month this may be the first time I’m fairly on time to give the band its due.

Every good thing that can be said about this album has already been said by other writers on this site so I won’t go into another album review, even though I think it will take something special to stop it becoming the best album of 2017. Instead I want to talk about my favourite song from the album: Replica.

One of the main themes running through the album is the depression that’s underneath every bad feeling, and bad choice. Oliver Sim sings concisely about the fears that depression brigs throughout the album. His lyrics, especially on Replica and A Violent Noise bring to mind th very male fear of depressive episodes that. That’s not to do Romy Madley Croft a disservice, but her lyrics and performance on the album have more concrete subjects compared to Sim’s.

On Replica Sim sings about his own damaging behaviour as part of a cycle started by his parents, posing the question: is his mistakes really his own if he becomes a replica of his parents. It’s a question many people who have depression recur within their family ask themselves: is this wrecless behaviour my fault? Do I push people away because of a nature that has been passed down? Am I responsible? Replica doesn’t have any real answers to these questions but it’s a mature subject to explore, especially in times where men are afraid to talk about their own struggles.

The real triumph of I See You is front and centre in Replica: before The XX where about being unlucky in love, this album explores how that is a symptom of a bigger problem, all set to beautifully dark music.