"Angels" is a song by English
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...
group
The xx
The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), a ...
, released as a
digital download on 17 July 2012 by
Young Turks. It was the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
for their 2012 album ''
Coexist
Coexist may refer to:
* ''Coexist'' (album), a 2012 album by The xx
* Coexist (song), 2019 song by Coldrain
* Coexist Foundation, a charitable organization based in London, England
* Coexist (image)
The Coexist image (often styled as "CoeXisT ...
''. The song was written by guitarist Romy Madley Croft, bassist Oliver Sim, and percussionist
Jamie xx
James Thomas Smith (born 28 October 1988), known professionally as Jamie xx, is an English musician, DJ, record producer and remixer. He is known for both his solo work and as a member of the English indie pop band The xx.
He has been described ...
, who also produced it.
The xx premiered the song on 14 May 2012 at their first live show since touring in 2010. Upon its release, "Angels" received positive reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, who commended Croft's performance and the song's minimalist musical style. The song was
remix
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
ed by electronic musician
Four Tet
Kieran Hebden (born September 1977), known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting UK albums such as '' Rounds'' ( ...
, whose version was aired on
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...
on 19 September.
Writing and recording
"Angels" was recorded during the sessions for ''
Coexist
Coexist may refer to:
* ''Coexist'' (album), a 2012 album by The xx
* Coexist (song), 2019 song by Coldrain
* Coexist Foundation, a charitable organization based in London, England
* Coexist (image)
The Coexist image (often styled as "CoeXisT ...
'' at The xx's recording studio in London.
Its
demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
was originally recorded solely by Romy Madley Croft, who wrote the song's lyrics.
Jamie xx
James Thomas Smith (born 28 October 1988), known professionally as Jamie xx, is an English musician, DJ, record producer and remixer. He is known for both his solo work and as a member of the English indie pop band The xx.
He has been described ...
said of the song's recording in an interview for ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'', "It took a while to work out how to
arrange
Arrange is a mythological figure from the Australian aboriginal creation myth of the Alyawarre people for Karlu Karlu. In the myth, the figure Arrange, who is also referred to as the devil man, comes from Ayleparrarntenhe. Arrange was making a ...
it for the band. The demo was quite perfect, but it was just Romy. It took the entire length of the recording process to get it right."
Music and lyrics
"Angels" is a sparsely-produced,
gentle ballad about the idea of being in love.
It has a measured pace and features slight vocals and whispered
cadences
In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (1999) ...
by Croft,
background baritone bass,
subtle drum thuds,
and coiling guitar lines.
Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
's Larry Fitzmaurice observes on the song "lots of hollow space surrounding
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
add
intimacy."
"Angels" opens with echoey guitar and Romy's vocals,
which are at the front of the
mix.
Eerie
snare
SNARE proteins – " SNAP REceptor" – are a large protein family consisting of at least 24 members in yeasts, more than 60 members in mammalian cells,
and some numbers in plants. The primary role of SNARE proteins is to mediate vesicle fu ...
rolls appear within a minute of the song,
but quickly fade away.
Arnold Pan of
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
writes that, in the context of ''Coexist'', the song has its "own sense of
development
Development or developing may refer to:
Arts
*Development hell, when a project is stuck in development
*Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting
*Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped
* Photograph ...
" and "
resolution
Resolution(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate
* Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body
* New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...
".
Oliver Sim said of this moment of
tension
Tension may refer to:
Science
* Psychological stress
* Tension (physics), a force related to the stretching of an object (the opposite of compression)
* Tension (geology), a stress which stretches rocks in two opposite directions
* Voltage or el ...
in the song, "Early on, Jamie said something about the album being inspired by dance music, so everyone's expecting a
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
beat to drop halfway through—which is hilarious because this is not a dance record."
Croft's transparent lyrics express lovesick emotion,
adoration,
and private knowledge acquired from intimacy:
"You move through the room / Like breathing was easy / If someone believed me / They would be as in love with you as I am".
They also compare a relationship that ended prematurely to "dreaming of angels, and leaving without them". Her repetition of "love" in the song's chorus expresses the depth and intensity of the narrator's feeling.
Priya Elan of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' opines that she repeats the word "like she's been sucker-punched by the sheer intensity of her heart-shaped feeling. She's revelling in the joy of it, but also realising the utter failure of the simple four-letter word to express the depth of what she's experiencing."
Croft said that the song is "very positive lyrically" and that its album "goes through a few different stages, and this would be the lightest."
Puja Patel of ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' characterizes its subject matter as "loverlorn" and observes a balance "between honest
gut-wrenching desire and stalker-like idolization".
Live performances
The xx premiered the song at
Electrowerkz
Electrowerkz, also known as the Islington Metal Works, is a three-floor music venue in Islington, London. In addition to mainstream club nights, it hosts the weekly goth night club Slimelight and other alternative events.
Layout
Electrowerkz ...
in Islington, London on 14 May 2012, their first live show since 2010. They subsequently performed "Angels" on ''
Conan'' on 24 July.
Reception
Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
's Larry Fitzmaurice noted the song's "percussive touch" as an indication that "the xx are changing ... slowly and subtly, two characteristics that's always been part of their central appeal."
Siân Rowe of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' called it "a heart-meltingly perfect follow-on from
their debut", and the magazine's Priya Elan dubbed it "the boldest Valentine the band have ever recorded."
Michael Cragg of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' commented that "their ability to make minimalism seem warm and comforting
sstill intact."
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Heather Phares called the song a "lovely album opener" and wrote that the band's "elegantly serpentine guitars — which recalled
the Cure
The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...
and
Durutti Column
The Durutti Column are an English post-punk band formed in 1978 in Manchester, England.Strong, Martin C. (1999) "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", Canongate, The band is a project of guitarist and occasional pianist Vini Reilly who ...
on ''xx'' ... are now entirely their own".
The Quietus
''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics.
Content
''The Quiet ...
critiqued that "it feels a bit more confident; where Oliver Sim and Madley-Croft's wordplay on their debut was tentative, there's a newfound directness".
Brendan Frank of
Beats Per Minute
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery ( ...
commended Croft for "delivering a simple love note to an anonymous recipient," adding that "she does a magnificent job of carrying the piece on her own."
Stephen Thompson of
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
called "Angels" a "gentle love song made all the more disarming for its simplicity," writing that it "ratchets up the tension using the fewest possible ingredients."
In Australia, the song was voted by members of the public to number 19 on
Triple J Hottest 100 of 2012.
Cover versions
In 2012, British band
Bastille
The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was sto ...
covered "Angels" alongside
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
's "
No Scrubs
"No Scrubs" is a song recorded by American girl group TLC as the lead single from their third studio album, ''FanMail'', on February 2, 1999, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The song was written by producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, forme ...
" in a mash-up entitled "No Angels". The mash-up featured as one of eleven tracks on the band's second mixtape, ''Other People's Heartache, Pt. 2''.
Lou Rhodes
Lou Rhodes is an English singer and songwriter from Manchester, now living in Wiltshire. In addition to providing vocals and lyrics for the band Lamb, Rhodes has released four solo albums: ''Beloved One'', '' Bloom'' and '' One Good Thing'' and ...
performed an acoustic cover of the song in 2014.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from ''
Coexist
Coexist may refer to:
* ''Coexist'' (album), a 2012 album by The xx
* Coexist (song), 2019 song by Coldrain
* Coexist Foundation, a charitable organization based in London, England
* Coexist (image)
The Coexist image (often styled as "CoeXisT ...
'' liner notes.
* Romy Madley Croft – composer, guitar, vocals
* Oliver Sim – bass, composer
*
Jamie Smith – beats, composer, engineer, mixing,
MPC, producer
*
Rodaidh McDonald
Rodaidh McDonald is a Scottish record producer and record company executive. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and currently resides in Los Angeles, California, United States. His production and mixing credits include The xx, King Krule, Adele, ...
– mixing
* Mandy Parnell – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{authority control
2012 singles
2012 songs
The xx songs
Song recordings produced by Jamie xx
Pop ballads
Songs written by Jamie xx
Songs written by Oliver Sim
Songs written by Romy Madley Croft
Young Turks (record label) singles