The Smile | Cutouts

The Smile - the trio consisting of Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) and Tom Skinner (Sons of Kemet, Melt Yourself Down) - have seemingly tapped into an almost inexhaustible creative well these years. ‘Cutouts‘ is their third album in just 2 years, and their second album in 2024 alone.

Although the album title ‘Cutouts’ might suggest otherwise, these are 10 brand new songs, not any discarded material. As usual, several of the songs have been aired during their UK tour in March.

Like its predecessor 'Wall of Eyes', 'Cutouts' was produced by Sam Petts-Davies. It was recorded at Oxford and Abbey Road Studios during the same period as the album ‘Wall of Eyes’ and features string arrangements from the London Contemporary Orchestra. The artwork was painted by Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke.

Despite their high output, there is no sign of slackness in the quality of their material. The last album, ‘Wall of Eyes’, released in January 2024, received widespread global praise and has been highlighted as one of the best albums of the year so far by several media outlets and music critics, including Pitchfork, The Needle Drop, Consequence, Brooklyn Vegan, Treblezine and Spin.