The XX band member Oliver Sim takes the lead in this second promo for the band from Young Replicant, putting in a strong and mysterious performance in this noir film, set in a spectacular West Coast property. Alex Takacs - aka Young Replicant - has previously been noted for his canny use of special effects or special scenery. And in his video for The XX's Chained he had Oliver and Romy submerged in a lido in Cornwall. But here it's about establishing a delicate, heightened dead-of-night atmosphere in this fine-looking video that perfectly suits the band's love of monochrome. And Alex explains the video, and how he intended it to be a "Borgesian dream quest - a blurring of what's real and what's imagined", in an interview on Noisey.
Sam Hill - 12th June 2013