Brussels/London, 14th March 2013

Coexist, the second album by London outfit The xx has won the IMPALA prize for the best independent album in Europe.

A shortlist of eighteen of European independent releases from 2012 pitched The xx against a variety of artists. Genres as varied as drum and bass (Netsky), folk (First Aid Kit), hip-hop (Cro and Frenkie) and reggae (Jukka Poika) were all represented on the shortlist along with a comprehensive collection of rock and pop artists from across the continent. http://bit.ly/W68ELQ

“Coexist” is the second album that The xx have released through Young Turks, the London-based label that has also released material by El Guincho and John Talabot, nominees past and present for the IMPALA Award.

 “Coexist” has been extremely well received, both critically and commercially, with the album receiving numerous five-star reviews and debuting at number one in several European countries, whilst it’s singles “Angels” and “Chained” both featured highly in the IMPALA/Nielsen European Independent Airplay charts for 2012. http://bit.ly/14kj6Ah

Quotes

Romy Madley Croft, singer and guitarist with The xx, stated: “It is a real honour to receive this award. It has been great to learn more about IMPALA and the great things they are doing. We are a huge supporter of independent music and being on an independent record label means so much to us. We are very aware that the time, support and patience given to us by our label is not always the norm these days. Coexist would not have been the same album without it. Thank you so much for the award. xx The xx”

Helen Smith, Executive Chair of IMPALA, commented: “The shortlist was full of great European albums, and the result was close but The xx is the well deserved clear winner. As for the contribution of independent labels to great music, Romy’s quote gives the recipe – “time, support and patience”.”

More about The xx

The xx are an English indie pop band, formed in London in 2008 around the talents of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith. The group released their critically acclaimed debut album, “xx” in August 2009. The album ranked highly on many best of 2009 lists, number one on the list compiled by The Guardian and second for NME. In 2010, the band won the Mercury Music Prize for their debut album.

More information about The xx: http://thexx.info/

More information about Young Turks: http://theyoungturks.co.uk/

More about IMPALA’s Independent Album of the Year Award

The Spotify playlist of all albums nominated this year is at: http://spoti.fi/XaF8nw

The European Independent Album of the Year Award showcases the breadth and diversity of independent talent across Europe. The winner is selected on the basis of completely open criteria from a shortlist compiling national and non-national album nominations from territories across Europe put forward for their musical, artistic or other exceptional quality. Nominated albums were required to have been released in 2012 (January – December), on a European independent label. A jury of IMPALA board members select the winner by vote. The award was launched in 2011, together with the annual “Outstanding Contribution to European Music” award, to mark the 10th anniversary of IMPALA.

About IMPALA

IMPALA was established in April 2000 to represent independent music companies. 99% of Europe’s music companies are SMEs. Known as the “independents”, they are world leaders in terms of innovation and discovering new music and artists – they produce more than 80% of all new releases. SME’s also produce 80% of Europe’s jobs. IMPALA has its own award schemes to help promote cultural diversity and new talent and highlight the artistic contribution of independent music. IMPALA award winning artists include The xx, Efterklang, Adele, Manu Chao, Radiohead, Agnes Obel, Caro Emerald and Sigur Ros.