Since bursting onto the scene in 2025 with their brash, sassy take on British pop, XO have felt like the girl band we’ve been waiting a long time for. The five-piece have the hooks, the attitude and, crucially, the chemistry. They’re not interested in playing it safe or sanding down their edges. Friendship is everything, exes are expendable, and the girls are unapologetically doing it for the girls.
Their new mini album, ‘Need To Know’, builds on the promise of debut EP ‘Fashionably Late’, which featured a Charli xcx co-write in ‘Real Friends’. Bringing together focus track ‘Tell Me How It Feels’, recent single ‘Stacey (Take You Higher)’ and songs road-tested during the band’s month-long Colours residency in London this summer, it finds XO growing into their sound and looking increasingly at home in the world of British pop.
They waste no time making their intentions clear. Opener ‘Hotline’ imagines an advice service for the heartbroken, with the immortal announcement: “All our operators are busy being iconic!” It’s funny, full of attitude and a pretty good indication of where XO stand on the subject of romantic disappointment. Forget crying over someone who doesn’t deserve it; call your friends, get your confidence back and move on. There’s a knowing wink to the whole thing, but the song’s appeal lies in its commitment to the bit.
‘Clique’, written by Ryan Tedder and Willow Kayne, gets to the heart of what makes XO click. A celebration of female friendship that never tips into preachiness, it feels personal without losing its pop immediacy. The accompanying video, filmed in the audition room where the girls first met just two years ago, only adds to the sentiment. There’s a genuine spark between them, a chemistry that feels impossible to fake and the sense of five people who want to take this somewhere together.
That camaraderie gets a deliciously mischievous twist on ‘Stacey (Take You Higher)’. Co-written by pop heavyweight MNEK, the track turns a tale of solidarity and sabotage into a full-throttle dancefloor rush. The beat hits hard, the energy is infectious and the tongue-in-cheek storytelling gives it personality beyond the production. It’s XO at their most exhilarating, and it’s easy to hear why the single has become their biggest moment to date.
XO – Stacey (Take You Higher) (Official Video)
There’s more to ‘Need To Know’ than knowing how to deliver a killer chorus, though. ‘Tell Me How It Feels’ switches up the pace, allowing the girls’ soaring vocals to take centre stage. A ballad with an edge, it gives the project some welcome emotional weight without losing its sense of scale. The performances feel expansive and heartfelt, building towards the sort of chorus that seems destined to be screamed back at the band by a sea of voices at gigs, festival performances and concerts for years to come.
Elsewhere, ‘No Sour’ raids the Noughties club playbook for its dirty beat and irresistible melody, but avoids feeling like a nostalgia exercise. ‘Human Nature’ takes a more cinematic route, building towards a punchy chorus that hints at another side to the group, while ‘Paper’ closes things on a euphoric, hedonistic high. It’s the sort of finale that makes you want to run the whole thing back.
What gives the record its appeal is that XO understand a simple truth about pop: personality matters. The hooks are there, the melodies land, but it’s the girls’ attitude that makes the songs stick. They can be cheeky without feeling calculated, polished without losing their edge, and sentimental without turning friendship into a slogan. There’s a real sense of fun here, but also a group with something to prove.
That ambition is all the more striking given that XO have been balancing part-time jobs with their pursuit of pop stardom, building an impassioned audience the hard way through sheer graft, live performances and songs that invite listeners into their world. Whether fans are drawn to the wider global girl-band renaissance, the promise of a ready-made sisterhood or simply the thrill of pop that doesn’t pretend to be anything that it’s not, there’s room for everyone in the XO universe.
And that, ultimately, is the point. The group’s appeal goes beyond the individual tracks, even when those tracks are as immediate and dance-floor-ready as these. It’s in the way their voices come together, the chemistry they bring to a performance and the confidence with which they champion female friendship without turning it into a slogan. Their energy feels infectious rather than manufactured, their attitude refreshingly direct. They have the kind of allure that could inspire the next generation to find their own voices, stand by their friends and never be afraid to own who they are.
‘Need To Know’ doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. It understands the enduring appeal of a great melody, a killer chorus and five girls who genuinely seem to love what they do. Rather than simply looking back to the golden era of girl bands, XO bring a fresh perspective to the formula: self-aware, unapologetic and fuelled by friendship.
If ‘Fashionably Late’ introduced XO’s potential, ‘Need To Know’ finds them stepping confidently into their own. In 2026, Girl Power has a fresh attitude, a contemporary edge and five new champions ready to take it higher. And XO are just getting started.
Download / stream ‘Need To Know’ here.
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