Bleep

The xx’s Oliver Sim steps out of the shadows of his beloved trio for a debut solo LP that explores the highs and lows of queer identity. Inspired in part by horror films and bright and shiny synth-pop, Hideous Bastard is a self-reflective journey through shame, acceptance, elation, and triumph. Lead single ‘Hideous’ tackles Sim’s teenaged HIV diagnosis with tender care, confronting stigma head on with elegiac backing vocals from Bronski Beat’s Jimmy Somerville and lush production from Jamie xx. The sparse ‘GMT’ hues a bit closer to his work within the band, trading pads for hand drums, but maintaining a semblance of their signature austerity and longing as Sim pines from a different time zone.