The xx’s Oliver Sim has shared a new song, ‘GMT’, alongside an accompanying video. It’s taken from his forthcoming debut LP Hideous Bastard, following previous offerings ‘Romance with a Memory’, ‘Fruit’, and ‘Hideous’. Check out the clip, directed by Sim’s longtime friend and collaborator Laura Jane Coulson, below.
“‘GMT’ was one of the first songs made for the record,” Sim explained in a press release. “I’d chased Jamie to Australia to escape British winter. We worked in Sydney and road tripped down to Byron Bay, stopping at secluded beaches and listening to a lot of The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson on the way. The first song we made was ‘GMT,’ sampling Brian Wilson’s ‘Smile.’ The song was written about pining over a love back home, thousands of miles apart on different time zones. It’s also a love letter to London.”
“I remember hearing the beginnings of ‘GMT’ in 2020 when Oliver was writing the record,” Coulson added. “It’s been in my head ever since. So I was beyond happy when Oliver asked to collaborate on the video for ‘GMT’ (actually my favourite song from the record). We wanted to make something simple and positive that focused on Oliver’s performance. I also wanted to capture his energy and show moments where we see a hint of his off-stage persona. We had so much fun making it.”
Hideous Bastard is out September 9 via Young.