Review – “Mid Air” by Romy
The xx’s Romy Madley Croft finally makes her long overdue solo debut with what might be one of the most cleanly produced and extensively cohesive records of 2023.
“Hold my hand under the table,
It’s not that I’m not proud in the company of strangers…”
I’m not sure where in their history that the members of The xx decided to transition from minimalist indie rock to electronic dance and house music, but I’m certainly not mad about it. Heck, one of the members of the band, Jamie xx, is even a DJ (and an incredibly talented one, I might add). His 2015 record “In Colour” was one of my top albums of that year, much to my own surprise, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at how I feel about Romy’s debut solo album which also took that hard turn into the realm of dance pop and house music.
“Mid Air” is an album that I believe deserves significantly more attention than it has received so far. It is a strong solo debut and picks up immediately on the opening track, never slowing down along the way – it’s catchy, hook-driven, and just so freakin’ tasty to the ears (forgive me, it’s the only way I can think of to describe how insanely catchy this record is). “Mid Air” allows Romy Madley Croft to show off her deeply ethereal and angelic voice in a soundscape that houses it incredibly well (no pun intended). She’s always been one of my favorite female vocalists, but it wasn’t until the 2015 track “Loud Places” from Jamie xx (best song of 2015, by the way) that I knew how well positioned her voice is for a wide variety of genres, not just the stripped-back sound of The xx’s early years.
On “Mid Air,” Croft takes the listener on an emotionally danceable trip through her younger years, and what an enjoyable ride it is through each track along the way. There are no dull moments on the record, the transitions are insanely clean, and the cohesion between tracks and ideas make the record feel almost like one long English house medley that doesn’t let up. It’s truly a trip worth taking, and I have a hard time identifying my top tracks from the album because it’s such a clean, cohesive work. If I really had to pinpoint top moments that capture the album as a whole, I’d probably point to “Strong” and “Enjoy Your Life,” both of which capture the mood of the album both sonically and lyrically – they’re optimistic and upbeat, direct in calling the listener to relax and, quite literally, enjoy their life while Croft takes the stage.
The members of The xx will long stand in my mind as incredibly talented and incredibly flexible musicians. They’ve flown across a spectrum of sound and landed somewhere I never would’ve expected them to, but I honestly feel like they’ve only gotten better with time and the changes they’ve made. With “Mid Air,” it was finally Romy’s time to shine as the other members had released their solo work previously. Now that she’s done it, I really wish she hadn’t waited so long.
Overall Rating: 9.1/10
Top Tracks:
– Loveher
– Weightless
– Strong