All the way back in August 2020, Young label boss Matthew Thornhill hinted that all three members of The xx were working on their own individual projects, in an interview with MusicWeek. Since then, we’ve received Romy Madley Croft’s euphoric debut single “Lifetime”, while Jamie xx has been putting out his own solo material for years.
Now, though, it seems like it’s Oliver Sim’s time to shine. In an Instagram post shared yesterday (February 22), the band’s singer and bass guitarist shares footage from what appears to be a home studio, which shows him jamming along with ominous piano lines and driving beats. Could this be the debut solo single we’ve been waiting for?
Confirming Thornhill’s suggestion that the trio remain close collaborators, Jamie xx also makes an appearance in the choppy teaser, after seemingly sharing a preview of Sim’s solo material in a 2020 mix for BBC Radio 1.
Even with the possibility of Sim’s debut single looming on the horizon, The xx also have an eye on putting out new music together in the future. In December 2021, the band even shared a teaser from the studio via their official Instagram account (the video was, sadly, muted).
In October that year, Romy also hinted at the group’s return in an Apple Music interview, saying: “I got some messages and stuff from people saying: ‘What’s happened to The xx?’ And I just wanted to be clear with that and just say we love each other and we’re making more music together for sure.”
“But it’s nice to just encourage each other to do something different, and like I said, just learn and bring something new back,” she added. “And also I like being able to just see Oliver and Jamie do something from afar and be inspired by that.”
Listen to Oliver Sim’s newly-shared teaser below.
Update (March 3 2022): Sim has now shared a longer snipper of a track, titled ‘Romance With A Memory’. Listen below: