The Smile

Taking their moniker from the title of a poem by English poet Ted Hughes, the Smile is a collaborative project featuring the talents of Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner. They released their debut A Light for Attracting Attention in 2022 to critical acclaim, swiftly following in a prolific 2024 with January's sophomore set Wall of Eyes and October's Cutouts. Born of the early doldrums of the COVID-19 pandemic, the band made their surprise live debut in 2021 at Glastonbury and subsequently announced that a record was forthcoming. In January 2022, they released the first taste of the album, a knotty, guitar-driven rush of motorik post-punk titled "You Will Never Work in Television Again." The trio issued half a dozen singles to prime fans for the eventual full-length release A Light for Attracting Attention, which was produced by Nigel Godrich. Arriving that May, the set blended the skittering anxiety and haunted beauty of Radiohead with Skinner's jazzy execution. A concert EP, The Smile (Live at Montreux Jazz Festival, July 2022), arrived later that year. While on tour promoting the effort, the trio got to work on a second album, which was released in 2024. Wall of Eyes, produced by Sam Petts-Davies, dug deeper into their experimental side and featured contributions from the London Contemporary Orchestra, Robert Stillman (clarinet/saxophone), and Pete Wareham (flute). Months later, they surprise-released two new songs on vinyl, "Don't Get Me Started" b/w "The Slip." Those tracks landed on their third full-length, Cutouts, which was also released that year in October. ~ James Christopher Monger