Oliver Sim says it has been “so nice” to return to the studio with The xx
On the red carpet at the AIM Awards, Oliver Sim teased a new album by The xx, confirming that he was back in the studio with “two friends” after a well-needed break. The band’s most recent album was 2017’s chart-topping I See You.
“It’s been nice to actually take a creative break, to be honest, because the past two years have been about birthing my record,” The xx vocalist and bassist told Far Out of his 2022 solo effort Hideous Bastard.
“And most of this year has been about taking a breather to appreciate everything that’s happened,” he added. “Which has been really nice. I sometimes tell myself that I need to be writing a song a day, which isn’t the case.”
When asked to confirm if he was back in the studio after bandmate Romy confirmed the news earlier this month, he revealed: “Yes, not on my own. With two of my friends, which has been so nice. It’s so nice after making a record on my own and returning with my original home.”
Sim revealed he loved being in the band, saying his own company could get “counterproductive” after too long.
“To be in a band with like my two oldest friends – Romy, I’ve known since I was three, Jamie since I was 11 – there is just like a general understanding, and our strengths lie in different places. So I think we make a good team, and I miss it.”
As for what we can expect from a potential new The xx album? “Honestly, no idea,” he said. “But the three of us have made three very different records. And I don’t know what the middle ground between those three is.”
While joking it was a “democracy”, Sim added they all have their individual strengths: “We have different strengths, so we lean on each other for different things. But we all take our time.”
Listen to ‘Hideous’ below.
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