Press photo, credit: Matt Weinberger
Currently based in Brooklyn, Sid was born in Portland, Oregon but raised in Sydney, Australia. He moved to New York in his early teens, but attended high school in Shanghai, China, before returning back to New York. There, instead of finishing his final year of school, he climbed into a van and headed off on a several month long road trip around the country.
All that to say—Sid‘s forthcoming new album reflects much of this multicultural and globe-hopping upbringing. Created in collaboration with Gordon Raphael (The Strokes, Regina Spektor, Blonde Redhead) and recorded with his band, The Darlings, at Mercy Sound Recording Studio in the East Village, the LP features previously shared singles “Dead Ringer,” “Three Days” and “Wendy.”
“The album to me has two sides,” says Sid. “There’s the cheeky, whimsical, lively side and on the other there’s this darker, more vulnerable and introspective element. The title, Beneath the Brightest Smiles, for me bridges those two together. A smile isn’t always joyful; it can also be seen as a means to cover something up.”
Press photo, credit: Victoria Baczynska
The record features previously-shared singles, “Dead Ringer,” “Three Days” and “Wendy,” which gained attention when Sid was stopped on the street by popular account Discovering Artists IRL—watch the clip here. The viral video has accumulated over 15 million views across Instagram and TikTok. “Wendy” has over 2 million streams across all streaming platforms and continues to climb.
