| Hideous Bastard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 9 September 2022 |
| Length | 34:11 |
| Label | Young |
| Producer | Jamie xx |
| Singles from Hideous Bastard | |
| |
Hideous Bastard is the debut album by the xx singer Oliver Sim, released on 9 September 2022 by Young. The album was produced by Sim's bandmate Jamie xx. It was released with a short film directed by Yann Gonzalez, which premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The album centers themes of queerness, including Sim's experiences with HIV.
Two singles were released prior to the album's announcement. "Romance with a Memory", Sim's debut solo single, was released on 10 March 2022 with a music video featuring drag queens Charity Kase, HoSo Terra Toma, and Gena Marvin. [1]
The second single, "Fruit", was released on 6 April with a music video directed by Yann Gonzalez. [2] The music video depicts Sim as a guest on a talk show, singing the song in response to the host asking him "If you could meet yourself as a kid right now, what would you say?" [3] "Fruit" is the first song Sim ever released where he used male pronouns, a practice he and xx bandmate Romy intentionally avoided in their work with the group. [3] Sim and Gonzalez discussed their influences behind the video, including inner child therapy, Steven Spielberg, Poltergeist , Dario Argento, and late-night television series like Eurotrash , Queer as Folk , and The Graham Norton Show . [3] The wardrobe for the video was styled by Celestine Cooney, with inspiration taken from David Byrne's "big suit" from Stop Making Sense . [3] An orchestral version of "Fruit" was released on 4 August 2023 for the soundtrack of the film Red, White & Royal Blue . [4]
The album was announced on 23 May with a release date of 9 September by Young. [5] [6] In a press release, Sim revealed that he was diagnosed HIV positive when he was 17. [6] The third single, "Hideous", was released the same day, with lyrics addressing Sim's experience with HIV and a guest feature from Bronski Beat vocalist and HIV/AIDS activist Jimmy Somerville. [5]
The fourth single, "GMT", was released on 7 July. [7] The song features a sample of the track "Smile Backing Vocals Montage" from the Beach Boys compilation album The Smile Sessions , [7] [8] and was inspired by Sim and Jamie xx's trip to Sydney and Byron Bay, Australia. [7] Sim said the song was about "pining over a love back home, thousands of miles apart on different time zones", and was "also a love letter to London." [7] A Jamie xx remix of "GMT", with additional production by Floating Points, was released on 22 August, [9] and was nominated for Best Independent Remix at the 2023 AIM Independent Music Awards. [10] The fifth single, "Run the Credits", was released on 8 September, and sees Sim singing about identifying with movie villains such as Patrick Bateman and Buffalo Bill and final girls from horror films. [11]
On 11 August, Sim released the trailer for his short film Hideous. [12] The short, directed by Yann Gonzalez, is a three-part horror musical about a young queer boy living with HIV. [12] It includes footage from the "Hideous" video, and its premise of Sim as the guest on a talk show. [12] Sim stars in the film which also features Jamie xx as the Sound Guy, Jimmy Somerville as the Guardian Angel, and drag queen Bimini as the Queen of Doom, as well as Fehinti Balogun, César Vicente, and Kate Moran. [12] The film was shot in London, [13] and premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on 22 May [13] before releasing exclusively on Mubi on 8 September. [12]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10 [14] |
| Metacritic | 80/100 [15] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Beats Per Minute | 72% [16] |
| The Daily Telegraph |   [17] |
| DIY | [18] |
| The Guardian | [19] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 9/10 [20] |
| MusicOMH | [21] |
| NME | [22] |
| Pitchfork | 6.5/10 [23] |
| PopMatters | 7/10 [24] |
| Slant Magazine | [25] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Hideous Bastard received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 from 12 critic scores. [15]
| Year | Organization | Award | Work | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | AIM Independent Music Awards | Best Independent Album | Hideous Bastard | Nominated | [26] |
| Best Independent Remix | "GMT" (Jamie xx Remix) | Nominated | [26] |
| Publication | # | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Clash | 11 | [27] |
| Dazed | 13 | [28] |
| Double J | 23 | [29] |
| The Guardian | 41 | [30] |
| Les Inrockuptibles | 27 | [31] |
| Loud and Quiet | 26 | [32] |
| MusicOMH | 43 | [33] |
| NME | 44 | [34] |
| Nylon | — | [35] |
| The Sunday Times | 24 | [36] |
All lyrics are written by Oliver Sim with others noted; all music is composed by Sim and James Smith with others noted
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hideous" (featuring Jimmy Somerville) | Somerville | Lee Hazlewood [a] | 4:23 |
| 2. | "Romance with a Memory" | 2:58 | ||
| 3. | "Sensitive Child" |
| Shannon | 3:02 |
| 4. | "Never Here" | 3:38 | ||
| 5. | "Unreliable Narrator" | 2:12 | ||
| 6. | "Saccharine" | 3:14 | ||
| 7. | "Confident Man" | 3:51 | ||
| 8. | "GMT" |
| 3:08 | |
| 9. | "Fruit" |
| 3:24 | |
| 10. | "Run the Credits" |
|
| 4:21 |
| Total length: | 34:11 | |||
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [37] | 88 |
| French Albums (SNEP) [38] | 195 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [39] | 66 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [40] | 9 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [41] | 59 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [42] | 58 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [43] | 2 |
The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx, and formerly Baria Qureshi. They are known for their distinctive minimalist sound blending indie rock, indie electronic, indie pop, dream pop and electro-rock and the dual-vocalist set-up of Madley Croft and Sim. Their music employs soft echoed guitar, prominent bass, light electronic beats and ambient soundscape backgrounds.
xx is the debut studio album by the English indie pop band the xx. It was released on 14 August 2009 by Young Turks, then an imprint label of XL Recordings, and recorded from December 2008 to February 2009 at the label's in-house studio in London. Producing the album, Jamie Smith of the xx created electronic beats for the songs on his laptop and mixed them in a detailed process with the audio engineer Rodaidh McDonald, who attempted to reproduce the intimate, unembellished quality of the band's original demos.
"Islands" is a song recorded by English indie pop band the xx for their self-titled debut studio album. 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. It also contains influences from house music and features instrumentation from guitars and synthesizers. Croft and Sim, who provided vocals in the track, sing about themes related to loyalty and love. "Islands" was released on 26 October 2009 as the third single from the album by Young Turks in 7-inch single and digital download formats. In March 2010, the song was re-released as a 12-inch single.
James Thomas Smith, known professionally as Jamie xx, is an English musician, DJ, record producer, and remixer. He is known for both his solo work and as a member of the indie pop band the xx.
We're New Here is a remix album by American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron and English music producer Jamie xx, released on February 21, 2011, by Young Turks and XL Recordings. A longtime fan of Scott-Heron, Jamie xx was approached by XL label head Richard Russell to remix Scott-Heron's 2010 studio album I'm New Here. He worked on the album while touring with his band The xx in 2010 and occasionally communicated with Scott-Heron through letters for his approval to rework certain material.
Young is a British independent record label that sits in the Beggars Group of labels launched by Caius Pawson in 2006. It has grown from an imprint of XL Recordings into a successful and influential label now partnered with XL and operates across a range of genres. The label's current roster includes The xx, FKA twigs, Sampha, Jamie xx, Koreless and Kamasi Washington.
Coexist is the second studio album by English indie pop band the xx. It was released 5 September 2012 by the Young Turks record label.
"Angels" is a song by English indie pop group The xx, released as a digital download on 17 July 2012 by Young Turks. It was the lead single for their 2012 album Coexist. The song was written by guitarist Romy Madley Croft, bassist Oliver Sim, and percussionist Jamie xx, who also produced it.
"Chained" is a song by English indie pop group The xx, released on 7 August 2012 by Young Turks. It was the second single from their 2012 album Coexist. The song was produced by percussionist Jamie xx and written by guitarist Romy Madley Croft and bassist Oliver Sim.
Romy Madley Croft who releases solo music as Romy, is an English musician. She is the guitarist and co-vocalist of the xx, and she released a solo album, Mid Air, in 2023, which peaked at No. 15 on the UK Albums Chart. She was nominated for the Brit Award for British Dance Act at the 2024 Brit Awards.
Oliver Sim is an English singer and bass guitarist. He is a member of the xx and released a solo album, Hideous Bastard, in 2022, which peaked at No. 58 on the UK Albums Chart.
"Intro" is the opening song of English indie pop group The xx's debut studio album, xx (2009). It was composed as an instrumental by the group and produced by one of its members, Jamie xx. The song has been positively received, as well as earning comparisons to the works of Casiokids and Interpol. It has been analysed by The Daily Telegraph to have been a "TV favourite", getting play in several television adverts, events, and shows. The track has reached number 129 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as charting in France, Spain and the United States.
In Colour is the debut studio album by English producer Jamie xx, released on 29 May 2015 by Young Turks. The album was composed during a five-year period while a member of the indie pop band the xx, starting with his production on xx in 2009. After starting his solo career with the remix album We're New Here (2011) and singles like "All Under One Roof Raving" (2014), he was intent on making the album something of a departure from his previous work and genre. The album features guest vocals from fellow the xx members Romy and Oliver Sim, as well as from Young Thug and Popcaan. The album produced five singles: "Girl" and "Sleep Sound" as a double-single on 5 May 2014, "Loud Places" on 27 March 2015, "Gosh" on 4 May, and "I Know There's Gonna Be " on 22 May.
I See You is the third studio album by English indie pop band the xx. It was released on 13 January 2017 by the Young Turks record label. It was the band's first album in more than four years, following 2012's Coexist.
"On Hold" is a song by English indie pop band the xx. It was released on 10 November 2016 as the lead single from their third studio album, I See You (2017). The song peaked at number 34 on the UK Singles Chart, and became one of their highest-charting singles internationally.
"I Dare You" is a song by English indie pop band the xx, released on 2 May 2017 by Young Turks. It was the third single from their third studio album, I See You (2017). The song was written by guitarist Romy Madley Croft, bassist Oliver Sim and percussionist Jamie xx, and produced by Jamie xx and Rodaidh McDonald.
David Wrench is a Welsh musician, songwriter, producer and mixer based in London. His work has been nominated for Grammys, Brit Awards and shortlisted for numerous Mercury Prize nominations including the 2017 winning album Process by Sampha. and Arlo Parks 2021 'Collapsed in Sunbeams’. Wrench has been the recipient of the BBC Radio Cymru C2 Producer of the Year award five times in six years between 2007 and 2012 and has received Music Producer Guild Awards (MPGs) including Mix Engineer of the Year 2016 and 2019. Credits include, David Byrne, Frank Ocean, The Pretenders, Blur, Caribou, Goldfrapp, Erasure, The xx, Sampha, Jamie xx, Jungle, FKA Twigs, Glass Animals, Florence and the Machine, Arlo Parks, Alma, Hot Chip, Marika Hackman, Honne, Jack Garratt, Manic Street Preachers, Villagers, Courtney Barnett, Austra, Tourist, Richard Russell, Let's Eat Grandma, Young Fathers, Georgia, Bat For Lashes and Race Horses.
Yann Gonzalez is a French film director, most noted as a recipient of the Prix Jean Vigo in 2018 for his film Knife+Heart.
Mid Air is the debut solo album by the xx member Romy Madley Croft, released mononymously as Romy. The album was released on 8 September 2023 by the record label Young. The album was primarily produced by Romy in collaboration with Fred Again and Stuart Price, and consists of dance-pop influenced by the likes of Everything but the Girl and Calvin Harris. Regarded by Romy as a love letter to the gay clubs she attended growing up, the album themes include love, grief, and mental health. The album was received positively by critics, and appeared on record charts from numerous countries. "Strong" was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Recording at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
In Waves is the second studio album by English producer Jamie xx, released on 20 September 2024 through Young. It was preceded by the singles "Baddy on the Floor" featuring Honey Dijon and "Treat Each Other Right", and is his first album in nine years, following In Colour (2015). The album also includes collaborations with Jamie xx's xx bandmates Romy and Oliver Sim, as well as Honey Dijon, Kelsey Lu, John Glacier, Panda Bear, Robyn, the Avalanches, and Oona Doherty. An additional collaboration with Erykah Badu features on the deluxe vinyl.
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