Cutouts
| Cutouts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 October 2024 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road | |||
| Length | 43:54 | |||
| Label | XL | |||
| Producer | Sam Petts-Davies | |||
| The Smile chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Cutouts | ||||
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Cutouts is the third studio album by the English rock band the Smile, set for release on 4 October 2024 through XL Recordings. It was produced by Sam Petts-Davies and recorded in Oxford and Abbey Road Studios, London, in the same sessions as the previous Smile album, Wall of Eyes (2024).
The Smile promoted Cutouts with the singles "Don't Get Me Started", "The Slip", "Foreign Spies", "Zero Sum" and "Bodies Laughing", music videos by the digital artist Weirdcore, and a series of cryptic messages on social media.
Background
[edit]The Smile comprise the Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood with the drummer Tom Skinner.[1] They performed several future Cutouts songs in early live performances in 2021 and 2022.[2][3][4]
Cutouts was produced by Sam Petts-Davies and recorded in Oxford and Abbey Road Studios, London, in the same sessions as the previous Smile album, Wall of Eyes (2024).[5] The song "Tiptoe" was played at global promotional listening parties for Wall of Eyes.[6]
In March 2024, the Smile began a European tour, including a performance at 6 Music Festival in Manchester with the London Contemporary Orchestra.[7][8] The shows included performances of some Cutouts songs.[5] The Smile's August tour was canceled after Greenwood was temporarily hospitalised with a serious infection.[9]
Music
[edit]Slant described Cutouts as "more challenging" than Wall of Eyes, prioritising atmosphere over conventional songwriting.[10] Uproxx described "Don't Get Me Started" as "synth-heavy" and "propulsive".[11] "Zero Sum" is high-tempo and rhythmically busy, with "hyperactive" lead guitar.[12][13] "Eyes & Mouth combines "spiralling" riffs with a "rolling" drumbeat and jazzy piano chords.[14] Stereogum described "Colours Fly" as a combination of the Radiohead songs "Pyramid Song" and "The National Anthem", with an Egyptian scale and "clouds of noise".[14]
Release
[edit]On 2 August 2024, the Smile released a vinyl double single, "Don't Get Me Started" and "The Slip". The vinyl was released without promotion and was only available in stores.[15] "Don't Get Me Started" was added to digital services on 8 August.[11] It was accompanied by a video directed by the audiovisual artist Weirdcore, with "glitchy" computer graphics reminiscent of generative artificial intelligence.[16][11] Later in August, the Smile released the track list in a series of ciphered messages on social media.[17][18] They announced Cutouts on 28 August, with a release date of 4 October, in digital, CD, cassette and vinyl formats.[5] On the same day, they released "Foreign Spies" and "Zero Sum" on streaming services, accompanied by more videos by Weirdcore.[5] On October 1, the Smile announced a pair of art installations, titled Through The Glass, in London and New York City, with new Weirdcore visuals and songs.[19] "Bodies Laughing" was released as a single on 2 October.[20][21]
Reception
[edit]Reviewing Cutouts for Stereogum, Chris DeVille praised the "incendiary" uptempo tracks and Greenwood's guitar work, but felt the slower tracks were less effective.[14] He suggested that the replacement of the longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, who produced the first Smile album, was a better match for slower tracks than Petts-Davies' "rawer and drier" production style.[14] He concluded: "It's possible that the Smile could have built one masterpiece out of their pair of 2024 albums, but the two they've given are fascinating and rewarding enough to justify existing as distinct releases."[14]
The Slant critic Lewie Parkinson-Jones said Cutouts struck a good balance of styles and better resembled "the work of a proper band" than Yorke's previous side project, Atoms for Peace. He praised "Bodies Laughing" as "strikingly beautiful", with "well-placed key changes and the subtle introductions of new instrumentation".[10] In The Arts Desk, Graham Fuller wrote that Cutouts was "not without beauty and technical brilliance", praising Yorke's "intimate" singing and Greenwood's "dextrous" guitar work. However, he felt it lacked melody and atmosphere, with a "random" track sequencing and abstruse lyrics, and that it was less consequential than Wall of Eyes.[22]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Foreign Spies" | 4:48 |
| 2. | "Instant Psalm" | 4:18 |
| 3. | "Zero Sum" | 2:47 |
| 4. | "Colours Fly" | 4:55 |
| 5. | "Eyes & Mouth" | 3:59 |
| 6. | "Don't Get Me Started" | 5:55 |
| 7. | "Tiptoe" | 3:30 |
| 8. | "The Slip" | 4:29 |
| 9. | "No Words" | 4:16 |
| 10. | "Bodies Laughing" | 4:57 |
| Total length: | 43:54 | |
Personnel
[edit]The Smile
Production
- Sam Petts-Davies
References
[edit]- ^ Savage, Mark (22 May 2021). "The Smile: Radiohead stars to debut new band at Glastonbury live-stream". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (23 May 2021). "See Radiohead Side Project the Smile Perform New Song 'We Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ Skinner, Tom (26 May 2022). "Watch Radiohead side-project the Smile debut new track 'Bodies Laughing'". NME. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "The Smile Share 'Colours Fly' And Thom Yorke Says New Music Is Coming". Uproxx. 10 July 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d Vito, Jo (28 August 2024). "The Smile announce new album Cutouts, release two songs". Consequence. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ Trendell, Andrew (19 January 2024). "The Smile dismiss The Beatles' influence and share advice for struggling creatives". NME. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ Geraghty, Hollie (23 January 2024). "The Smile add extra London show to March 2024 UK tour due to phenomenal demand". NME. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ Harrison, Scoop (10 March 2024). "The Smile Perform with London Contemporary Orchestra: Setlist + Video". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ Youngs, Ian (12 July 2024). "Jonny Greenwood: Radiohead guitarist treated in intensive care". BBC News. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ a b Parkinson-Jones, Lewie (30 September 2024). "The Smile Cutouts review: atmosphere and ambition". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Williams, Aaron (8 August 2024). "The Smile's 'Don't Get Me Started' video is a trippy digital chase". Uproxx. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ Deville, Chris (28 August 2024). "The Smile announce new album Cutouts: hear 'Zero Sum' and 'Foreign Spies'". Stereogum. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ Trendell, Andrew (11 March 2024). "The Smile live in London: a jazz-punk adventure in an entirely new world to Radiohead". NME. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e DeVille, Chris (26 September 2024). "Premature evaluation: the Smile Cutouts". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ Chelosky, Danielle (3 August 2024). "The Smile surprise release new songs 'Don't Get Me Started' and 'The Slip' on vinyl only". Stereogum. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Dunworth, Liberty (8 August 2024). "Listen to the Smile's trippy new single 'Don't Get Me Started'". NME. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ Rigotti, Alex (25 August 2024). "The Smile appear to be teasing a new album". NME. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ Jones, Abby (25 August 2024). "The Smile appear to tease LP3 in social media ciphers". Stereogum. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ England, Adam (1 October 2024). "The Smile announce 'electronic art installations' for new album Cutouts in London and NYC". NME. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- ^ Hatfield, Amanda (2 October 2024). "The Smile share 'Bodies Laughing', announce NYC & London pop-ups". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- ^ "The Smile Share New Single "Bodies Laughing": Listen". Stereogum. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- ^ Fuller, Graham (1 October 2024). "Album: the Smile — 'Cutouts". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 1 October 2024.