Released on 9th September, Hideous Bastard is the debut solo album from Oliver Sim, who makes up one third of The xx. Coming in at just 34 minutes, the album is quiet yet deeply confessional, as Sim explores his own anxieties and shame - Hideous Bastard opens with the line: ‘I’m ugly’. Mapping elements of the queer experience, Sim discusses his HIV status, body image, performative masculinity and draws a lot of inspiration from queer horror films.
In all, Hideous Bastard, is a simple yet effective and elegant debut project that highlight’s Oliver Sim’s beautiful voice and fluid writing style. Production from Jamie xx proves to be pared back, building out dreamy synth soundscapes with moody piano lines and vocal harmonies in a stylish mix. For a project that deals with some interesting ideas around shame and horror, the album does lack in sonically providing some of the substance to go with all the style, but Oliver Sim’s debut shows tons of potential for the future.
