Wall of Eyes
| Wall of Eyes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 26 January 2024 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios | |||
| Length | 45:16 | |||
| Label | XL | |||
| Producer | Tony Doogan | |||
| The Smile chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Wall of Eyes | ||||
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Wall of Eyes is the upcoming second studio album by the English rock band the Smile, produced by Tony Doogan. It is set for release on 26 January 2024 through XL Recordings.
The Smile developed the songs while on tour for their first album, A Light for Attracting Attention (2022). After releasing the single "Bending Hectic" in June 2023, the Smile announced the album with the single "Wall of Eyes" in November, accompanied by a video directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
Recording
The Smile are composed of the Radiohead members Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke with the drummer Tom Skinner.[1] While on tour for their first album, A Light for Attracting Attention (2022), they performed many new songs, including several future Wall of Eyes tracks.[2] They recorded Wall of Eyes in Oxford and Abbey Road Studios, London,[3] with strings performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra.[1]
In March 2023, the Smile confirmed that they were seven weeks into recording.[4] In June, Greenwood said the album was about working within the limits of a three-person band, and that they were still working through a backlog of ideas generated during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
Whereas most of Yorke's previous work, including the previous Smile album, was produced by Nigel Godrich, Wall of Eyes was produced and mixed by Sam Petts-Davies.[2] Petts-Davies previously produced Yorke's 2018 soundtrack Suspiria,[2] and Yorke's songs "5.17" and "That's How Horses Are", which were written for the television drama Peaky Blinders.[5] A version of the Wall of Eyes song "Teleharmonic" also appeared in the drama.[6]
The download for the 2009 Radiohead song "These Are My Twisted Words" contained a text file containing the phrase "Wall of Ice", triggering speculation that it was the title of an upcoming Radiohead EP.[2][7] The phrase "wall of eyes" later appeared in promotional materials for Radiohead's 2011 album The King of Limbs.[8]
Release
The Smile released the first Wall of Eyes single, "Bending Hectic", on 20 June 2023.[9] The album was announced on November 13, and is set for release on 26 January 2024.[10] The Smile are due to begin a European tour in March 2024.[10]
The album was announced alongside a second single, "Wall of Eyes", with strummed acoustic guitar, strings, and a samba-like rhythm in 5/4 time.[11] Stereogum described it as "light, lilting, insular" and "soft and graceful, with a growing sense of unease and discordance".[12] Consequence picked it as their song of the week, describing it as "dizzyingly danceable and easily enjoyable ... the sound of three boundless musicians with enough ideas to span several lifetimes".[11]
The "Wall of Eyes" music video was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and filmed at the Mildmay Club in London in October 2023.[3] It has Yorke wandering through London, drinking alone in a pub, staring at a wall of eyeballs and sitting among dozens of versions of himself.[13]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wall of Eyes" | 5:05 |
| 2. | "Teleharmonic" | 5:10 |
| 3. | "Read the Room" | 5:14 |
| 4. | "Under Our Pillows" | 6:14 |
| 5. | "Friend of a Friend" | 4:35 |
| 6. | "I Quit" | 5:32 |
| 7. | "Bending Hectic" | 8:03 |
| 8. | "You Know Me!" | 5:22 |
| Total length: | 45:16 | |
References
- ^ a b Geraghty, Hollie (13 November 2023). "The Smile announce new album Wall of Eyes and UK and European tour". NME. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d Kreps, Daniel (13 November 2023). "Radiohead Side Project the Smile Return With New Album 'Wall of Eyes'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ a b Lindert, Hattie (13 November 2023). "The Smile Announce New Album Wall of Eyes, Share Video for New Song Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ a b Jones, Abby (16 June 2023). "Johnny Greenwood says the Smile "have a big backlog of ideas"". Consequence. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Richards, Will (13 March 2022). "Listen to Thom Yorke's haunting new song '5.17', written for 'Peaky Blinders'". NME. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "The 'Peaky Blinders' Season 6 Soundtrack Is a Gothic Rock Opera". Yahoo Life. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ Montgomery, James (17 August 2009). "Radiohead Put Wall Of Ice EP Rumors To Rest, For Now". MTV. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ Hudson, Alex (13 November 2023). "The Smile Announce Sophomore Album Wall of Eyes, Share Title Track". Exclaim!. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ Sacher, Andrew (20 June 2023). "The Smile release new single 'Bending Hectic'". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ a b Richards, Will (13 November 2023). "The Smile announce new album Wall of Eyes with Paul Thomas Anderson-directed video". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ a b Krueger, Jonah (17 November 2023). "The Smile's "Wall of Eyes" Is Our Song of the Week". Consequence. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (13 November 2023). "The Smile announce new album Wall of Eyes, Share Paul Thomas Anderson-directed video for title track". Stereogum. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- ^ Bergeson, Samantha (13 November 2023). "Paul Thomas Anderson Directs Thom Yorke in Trippy 'Wall of Eyes' Music Video — Watch". IndieWire. Retrieved 14 November 2023.