The xx’s Oliver Sim announces debut solo track arriving tomorrow
It drops the same day as the launch of The xx's new Apple Music 1 show 'Interludes Radio'
The xx’s Oliver Sim has announced his first solo release, ‘Romance With A Memory’, is arriving tomorrow (March 10).
The bassist and vocalist is set to drop the new track at 3pm GMT along with a lyric video.
Posting a snippet of the track on Instagram, Sim wrote: “I cannot tell you how much joy it brings me to watch a ghoul having a good time.
“I’ve made a compilation of some of my favourite monsters, killers and queers getting down to ‘Romance With A Memory’. I hope both the music and monsters make you feel as happy as they make me.”
Tomorrow also marks the launch of The xx’s Apple Music 1 show ‘Interludes Radio’. Sim and bandmates Jamie xx and Romy Madley-Croft will present their own instalments in the series.
Sim will begin the series with a horror-themed episode, where he will be joined by his bandmates and others including Florence Welch, Elton John, Sampha, Jimmy Somerville and film director Yann Gonzalez.
“We’ll be taking turns to host each episode and get into the things that inspire us individually,” The xx said in a statement. “An hour of music, guests and sneak peeks of what we’re all up to on our own and together.”
Romy released her first solo track, ‘Lifetime’, in September 2020, and in January she dropped ‘Lights Out’ with Fred again.. and HAAi.
The singer is also working on a debut solo album which will explore and celebrate formative queer experiences.
“I really hope that younger queer people can have those connections [in clubs] and learn how beautiful it is,” she told The Guardian.
“I came out when I was 15, and my dad was really cool about it, and I’m very grateful for that,” she continued. “But I didn’t feel ready when we put out that first xx album, when we were about 20, to be really, really open about my sexuality. Over time, growing up and also just noticing how the world is changing, I felt a lot more comfortable being more public.”
Last November, The xx released a new documentary that weaves in footage from experimental shows that the band performed in 2014, alongside the launch of a new digital archive.
It is one of several new pieces of media shared on record label Young’s new archive, which is titled ‘Young then’. The xx film centres on their 25 shows at New York City’s The Armory, where they played to an audience of 45 people per gig.
The group also last month shared footage of themselves playing together, sparking hopes of a new album.