“Hideous Bastard is Oliver Sim celebrating the imperfect”
“The xx singer strikes out with radical honesty”
“Given his legendary status, it’s surprising to learn that Jimmy Somerville was ashamed of his voice in his younger years. That piercing countertenor wasn’t heard as angelic, but unmasculine, a quality to be rejected. Now, he fully adopts that guardian angel role for Oliver Sim on ‘Hideous’. “Be brave, have trust / Just be willing to be loved,” the angel calls. Sim’s vocal is in conversation with ”
“The solo debut from the xx vocalist is a quiet work of personal exploration. Rife with growing pains, it occasionally hints at real beauty.”
““Been living with HIV since 17/ Am I hideous?” Even in today’s pop climate, where disclosure of mental and physical ailments is almost demanded, the xx singer Oliver Sim’s directness on Hideous is devastating. Partly because we expect xx members to be taciturn, vague, less explicit, but also due to a rawness in his singing, a strength and fragility he has rarely hinted at before. Nothing else on h”
