IN CONVERSATION WITH SID SIMONS
interview by NIA TOPALOVA
Frontman, producer and singer/songwriter Sid Simons released his critically acclaimed album ‘Beneath the Brightest Smiles’ last year, which took him around the world, touring and opening for acts such as Franz Ferdinand and Modern English. Sid is currently in the studio with his band working on his next EP which will be released early next year.
Currently you are working on your next EP. What is the inspiration behind it?
This is the first project I’ve worked on where I’m asking a question rather than blurting out how I feel about something. What does modern day romance look like in 2025? Living in the world of the internet and dating apps, it all sounds like it should be so easy. Is it too easy having it all right in front of you? Are we too picky because something potentially better could be a click away? A lot of my friends have come to me complaining about these things so I started writing about it to see if I can find an answer or a solution.
Can you already share with us what we can expect from this album?
Well sonically speaking, I have been listening to a lot of Primal Scream, the Waterboys and Frikos new album. Not sure if any of those influences crept into this EP or not.
How did you find working on ‘Beneath the Brightest Smiles’, and how would you say your new album differs from it?
It took me about a year to finish Beneath the Brightest Smiles. Working on it on and off constantly. Whereas this new EP was recorded in 2 weeks. We had a hard deadline this time which really helped me focus. There was no time for messing around.
Your music and your style are influenced by the 60s and the 70s. What do you find most inspiring about these periods?
I think not only musically but culturally that period of time was so forward thinking. Every record that came out next was blowing the last one away. It just seems like such an incredible time period for music, art and culture.
From Portland to Sydney, then NY, Shanghai, and again NYC — in what way did changing multiple different places influence your work?
I think each city played a huge role in my musical discovery. At 16 I moved to Shanghai China and I started my first band. We played in mostly underground bomb shelters alongside metal or hardcore bands. Since those were the only other bands around, we constantly got stacked onto these bills. But it was amazing, it taught me how to perform in front of an audience. Especially an audience that didn’t want me there. When we moved back to NY (in the suburbs) I was at the tail end of high school and I had become so obsessed with writing songs that I physically couldn’t do anything else. So I left school. I wrote about 500 songs that year, sometimes 4 or 5 a day. The only time I would leave my room was to pee and eat. I realized at one point that I needed stories to tell with these songs. All of my favorite artists at the time had stories and I wanted them too. So I decided to jump in my family van and start driving. I ended up driving around America for 3 months. I came back with more stories than I could tell.
How do you find the NYC music scene and what made you settle there?
I think the NYC music scene is really exciting right now. The level is really high. Really good music is coming out constantly. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now.
Which part of music creation would you say is your favourite?
Writing the bones of the song is my favorite part. Whether it’s on an acoustic guitar or a piano it’s just so exciting when you get an idea and it leads you somewhere. It’s like someone taking your hand and showing you a part of the world you’ve never seen before.
Although you are already an established songwriter, who would you say have been some of your biggest influences?
Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Sharon van Etten, Adrienne Lenker, Bob Dylan. So many…
What do you wish people get out of listening to your music?
I hope they feel or see something they have never felt. I hope my music brings something out of them they didn’t know existed.
Except for the new EP, what are your aspirations for 2025?
We have lots of touring. We hit the road in March with Monobloc and Catcher, and then another run of shows on the West Coast. After that we’re planning on going to Europe and the UK for a month-long tour. I’m very excited for everything to come. Life is beautiful.
TEAM CREDITS:
talent SID SIMONS
photography YAËL TEMMINCK
editor TIMI LETONJA
interview NIA TOPALOVA
