Islands (The xx song)

Written by band-members Jamie Smith, Oliver Sim, Romy Madley Croft and then-member Baria Qureshi, "Islands" is a dark and simple indie pop track.

An accompanying music video for "Islands" was directed by Saam Farahmand, and consists of numerous tracking shots that show six dancers performing a dance routine around the members of the band.

A cover version of "Islands" was recorded by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira for inclusion in her ninth studio album Sale el Sol (2010).

"Islands" was written by the xx band-members Jamie Smith, Oliver Sim, Romy Madley Croft and then-member Baria Qureshi, for the English indie pop band's self-titled debut album (2009).

[7] A "typically heartfelt and bed-cuddly" refrain "I am yours now" is repeated throughout the song, and UK-based online publication Muso's Guide regarded it as "the closest thing The xx has produced to a hook".

[10] Lou Thomas, a critic for the website, said there is a "sense of quiet triumph" in what he felt was a musical reference to "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty in the song's melody, "despite the incongruity".

[5] The Muso's Guide review of "Islands" approved of the song's release as a single and complimented Croft and Sim's vocal delivery, saying they "provide a superb introduction to what the band is all about".

[2] Emily Mackay from NME called the song "gorgeous" and felt it was "the perfect soundtrack for wandering aimlessly along rainy London streets".

[13] The accompanying music video for "Islands" was directed by Saam Farahmand, who had previously worked with artists like Simian Mobile Disco and Klaxons.

[15] Composed of a series of tracking shots, the video shows Croft, Sim, and Smith "listlessly" sitting on a couch with six dancers performing a choreographed dance routine behind them.

[18] "Islands" was played during the closing monologue of the fourteenth episode of the sixth season of American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, entitled "Valentine's Day Massacre".

Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira recorded a cover version of "Islands" for inclusion in her ninth studio album Sale el Sol, which was released on October 19, 2010.

[28] In comparison to the original version, Shakira's cover of "Islands" follows a largely similar and "fairly faithful" instrumentation,[31] but features a faster tempo, "hopeful-sounding" vocals,[32] and "pseudo-house" elements.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic felt it was a highlight on the album, and commented that Shakira "finds warmth within the art pop of The xx, whose "Islands" is a shimmering peak here".

[28][34] Mikael Wood from Entertainment Weekly appreciated the cover, and opined that "[Shakira] discovers the beating heart inside that band's subdued electro-goth jam".

[38] Maria Schurr from PopMatters felt the performance was "less intimate than the original", but "managed to amplify the tremendous pop sensibilities embedded beneath Romy Madley Croft"s and Oliver Sim's hushed coos".