In four years, The xx have gone from indie darlings to international buzz band. Their brand of indie pop won them fans across the globe, even winning the prestigious Mercury Prize in their native England, which took the hype surrounding the band to new heights. Though they’ve technically only been on the scene since 2008,
UK-based band Alt-J are honored to announce their nomination for this year’s Mercury Prize, the annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. Past winners of the Mercury Prize include PJ Harvey, Portishead, Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, and The xx. This year’s nominees include albums from Michael Kiwanuka, Ben Howard,