The Smile have finally announced their debut album A Light For Attracting Attention today and it will be released on May 13th via XL Recordings. The 13-track album was produced and mixed by Nigel Godrich and mastered by Bob Ludwig. Tracks feature strings by the London Contemporary Orchestra and a full brass section of contemporary UK jazz players including Byron Wallen, Theon and Nathaniel Cross, Chelsea Carmichael, Robert Stillman and Jason Yarde.
The Smile, comprising Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and Sons of Kemet’s Tom Skinner, have previously released the singles You Will Never Work in Television Again, The Smoke, and Skrting On The Surface to critical acclaim.
The Smoke was also released as a dub remix by legendary reggae producer Dennis Bovell.
The Smile’s most recent single Pana-vision was released on April 3rd and appeared in the finale of Peaky Blinders. The animated video for Pana-vision features artwork by Radiohead artist Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke and can be seen here.
The brand new single Free In The Knowledge is out today, April 20th, with an accompanying video directed by Leo Leigh. The track was first performed by Thom Yorke as part of the Letters Live event at London’s Royal Albert Hall, in December 2021, the first time Thom had performed since the pandemic began. Introducing the song, he dedicated it to all fellow UK musicians.
Physical formats (all in gatefold packaging):
- Double black vinyl
- Limited edition double yellow vinyl (Independent retailer exclusive)
- Single CD
The full tracklisting for the album is:
- The Same
- The Opposite
- You Will Never Work in Television Again
- Pana-vision
- The Smoke
- Speech Bubbles
- Thin Thing
- Open The Floodgates
- Free In The Knowledge
- A Hairdryer
- Waving A White Flag
- We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings
- Skrting On The Surface
