As co-frontperson in the xx, Oliver Sim’s breathy vocal style can sometimes blur into a nocturnal haze of mumbles and obfuscation. By stepping out of his band’s shadows, however, Sim showed himself to be an unabashedly frank voice. The bold admission that he has been living with HIV since he was a teenager within stunning, Jimmy Somerville duet “Hideous” was as arresting an opening gambit for his solo career as you could imagine. The rest of debut LP Hideous Bastard was equally assured as Sim examined his past and confronted feelings of shame and fear. It’s a varied and continually rewarding listen, and while Sim is very much front and centre, that’s thanks in no small part to the production genius of his bandmate, Jamie xx. The excellent “Sensitive Child” samples Del Shannon’s “Break Up” within its murky breaks and lyrical soul-searching, “GMT” places Sim’s lovelorn croak atop of a heavenly cloud of gospel vocals while the fluttering voice samples and surging pop chorus of closer “Run The Credits” end Sim’s first solo venture on a magnificent high.

The xx singer and bassist made his solo debut something other than you’d expect, especially since Jamie xx was on board as producer. This isn’t stark dance music or creepy emotional lurker songs, but rather a fairly straight ahead torch album, like you’d get from Annie Lennox once upon a time. Hearing Jimmy Somerville and Sim? Priceless. Hearing Jamie and Oliver interpolate the Beach Boys? The right price.