The xx's Oliver Sim Leads With Vulnerability on Subversive Solo Endeavor 'Hideous Bastard'

Oliver Sim, one-third of the English indie rock group The xx, spent two years writing and recording his debut solo album. Today, Sim has released the long-awaited LP, entitled Hideous Bastard, a raw exploration of shame, trauma, fear, masculinity and sexuality.On the record's lead single "Hideous," Sim considers his HIV-positive status and how it's shaped his perception of himself."Radical honesty might set me free, if it makes me hideous," he croons. "Been living with HIV since seventeen / Am I...