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The Smile are already working on new music, reveals Thom Yorke

The Radiohead side-project have been debuting material on their current European tour

By Tom Skinner

Jonny Greenwood, Thom Yorke and Tom Skinner of The Smile pose in a black-and-white press shot
The Smile. (Picture: y Alex Lake)

Radiohead side-project The Smile are currently at work on some new material, according to frontman Thom Yorke.

The trio – completed by Jonny Greenwood and Sons Of Kemet‘s Tom Skinner – released their debut studio album, A Light for Attracting Attention, back in May.

Since then, the group has debuted a trio of new tracks while out on the road in Europe: ‘Bodies Laughing’, ‘Friend of a Friend’ and ‘Colours Fly’.

Sharing a clip of The Smile performing the latter cut at Primavera 2022, Yorke wrote on Twitter yesterday (July 10): “New one … work in progress.”

He went on to confirm that “there are a few” other songs currently in the works. You can see that post below.

Introducing ‘Bodies Laughing’ at a concert in Berlin in May, Yorke told the crowd: “So, yesterday we wrote another new song. So we’re gonna try and play it.”

The Smile’s 2022 European tour is due to resume with a performance at the Festival de Nîmes tonight (July 11). After that stint concludes on July 20, the band will return to the UK to support Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at All Points East in London on August 28.

A run of North American dates will run throughout November and December – you can find the full live itinerary here.

The Smile played a run of UK gigs in May and June, including a two-night billing at The Roundhouse in Camden Town, London.

Reviewing The Smile’s debut album, Rolling Stone UK wrote: “A Light for Attracting Attention sees the two Radiohead band members join with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner and longtime producer Nigel Godrich as they take some surprising turns across 13 mesmerising, experimental tracks. As Yorke put it, ‘there’s not any sort of aesthetic agenda’. Forget everything you know, and dive in.”