The xx felt "pressure" recording their second album ‘Coexist’.
The ‘Crystalised’ hitmakers – comprised of Jamie Smith, Romy Madley Croft, and Oliver Sim – have opened up about their writing processes as they gear up to release their untitled third album, saying they were determined to get out of their comfort zone this time around as they overanalysed the process for their 2012 venture.
Oliver admitted: "There was so much pressure from ourselves about: What do people like about us? What makes us sound like us? What do we need to hang onto?
"When we’re thinking like that, at our worst, we can end up sounding a bit like a parody of ourselves."
And 26-year-old Oliver also admits that a large part of the pressure came from his own struggles with alcoholism, and "fighting the idea of being an adult", but says he’s now been alcohol-free for over a year.
He added: "I was going out a lot with the excuse that I was celebrating – ‘celebrating’ -the past few years.
"Just fighting the idea of becoming an adult. Some friends had started to mellow a bit, and I didn’t want to …
"And with alcohol, like a lot of things, it’s all or nothing for me. So right now it’s just nothing."
Oliver says he feels "happier" without alcohol, but doesn’t know how to "celebrate and let go" once the band’s new album comes out.
He told Pitchfork magazine: "The times when I actually do have, like, a successful conversation, I feel really good about it and it stays with me as opposed to… kind of not remembering.
"While I’m struggling more now, I am actually happier.
"One thing I can’t wrap my head around, to be honest, which makes me a bit sad, is: How do I celebrate and let go a bit? Which I’m still figuring out. I’ve got lots of help."
The xx felt ‘pressure’ recording 2012’s Coexist
