The Smile released their second album, ‘Wall of Eyes’, in January. Months after that release, The Smile – the group of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead and Tom Skinner of Sons of Kemmet – have new music on the market, specifically, a 12″ vinyl that includes two new songs, ‘Don’t Get Me Started’ and ‘The Slip’. With the arrival of the shipping date of this vinyl, on August 8, the first of these cuts has been released for streaming, and we imagine that the second will not be long in coming.
While ‘The Slip’ follows the edgy post-punk style of The Smile, especially the former, ‘Don’t Get Me Started’ is composed of a completely electronic base, reminiscent of Radiohead’s experiments on ‘Kid A’ and especially of Thom Yorke solo.
Sam Petts-Davies is back behind the production of ‘Don’t Get Me Started’, the title of which could not be more appropriate for Thom Yorke, as it could be translated as “don’t make me talk”. The Yorke signature is also present in the dense and dislocated sound of the base, which then turns into a burst of digital sound; in the catchy scaled chord of the keyboards, and – of course – in the languor of Thom Yorke’s vocal melody, his trademark.
With these ingredients, The Smile delivers an intriguing and captivating piece that, in its minimalism, doesn’t sound like too many things you can remember. Its lyrics written “in medias res”, on the other hand, add mystery to the song, as it begins with an accusation that no one knows where it comes from: “I’m not the killer, don’t make me talk, I’m not the villain, pick someone else,” sings Yorke in his most accusatory facet. Someone has the wrong enemy, it seems.
The Smile’s new music comes weeks after the band cancelled their tour (which included a stop at Madrid’s Kalorama) due to Jonny Greenwood’s health problems; the musician has been hospitalised after contracting an infection.
