XTC were a New Wave/alternative rock band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. Though the band enjoyed some significant chart success, including the UK hits "Making Plans for Nigel" (1979) and "Senses Working Overtime" (1982), they are better known for their long-standing critical success than for making hit records.

First coming together in 1972, the core duo of Andy Partridge (guitars & vocals) and Colin Moulding  (bass & vocals) went through many band names (including The Helium Kidz and Star Park) over the next five years. As the Helium Kidz, they were featured in a small NME article as an up-and-coming band from Swindon. Drawing influence from the New York Dolls, particularly the "Jetboy" single, and the emerging New York punk scene, they played glam rock with homemade costumes and slowly built up a following. Drummer Terry Chambers joined in 1973. Keyboard player Barry Andrews followed in 1976, and the band finally settled on a name: XTC. By this time, the punk rock movement was in full swing, and XTC had found their style, a unique brand of hyperactive pop mixed with funk, punk, ska, reggae, baroque pop, and art rock.

The 2005 inclusion on Apple Box of the first new XTC tracks in five years ("Spiral", written by Partridge and "Say It", by Moulding), offered hope that the band might continue. However, in November 2006, Partridge told several interviewers that Moulding no longer had any interest in writing, performing or even listening to music. Partridge has said he would not continue XTC without Moulding, and that therefore he has been forced to regard XTC "in the past tense," with no likelihood of a new project unless Moulding should have a change of heart.

Partridge said, in an interview on a Todd Rundgren fansite in February 2008, that Moulding has moved and changed his phone number, effectively ending all contact between the two. The only correspondence they have is through e-mails via their manager, discussing the dividing of the band's assets. Partridge also said he and Gregory—their differences now resolved—have considered working together again.

On 30 July 2008, Partridge summed up the status of the band on the news website Swindon Advertiser, in his "Ask Andy" column:

    Yes I believe my musical partnership with Colin Moulding has come to an end. For reasons too personal and varied to go into here, but we had a good run as they say and produced some real good work. No, I won't be working with him in the future.

In a December 2008 internet radio interview on RundgrenRadio.com, Moulding resurfaced to confirm his disinterest in music. He also confided that the break up of XTC was partly caused by financial disagreements but stated that he and Partridge were again communicating.

Newly-remastered re-issues of several XTC albums are planned. Included will be re-worked previously unreleased tracks with contributions by Moulding. The first of these releases—expanded versions of 25 O'Clock and Psonic Psunspot—have been released by Partridge's APE House record label. The APE website states that the XTC re-issues will be coming from Virgin in 2010, with expanded CD editions of English Settlement, Skylarking, and Oranges & Lemons making up the first wave, and that APE will also be selling vinyl editions of the re-issued records.