The Smile – the English trio featuring Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, and Sons Of Kemet’s Tom Skinner on drums – have finally detailed their highly-anticipated debut album.
Called A Light for Attracting Attention, the album will be released on May 13 via XL Recordings. Helmed by longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, the LP features strings by the London Contemporary Orchestra and a full brass section comprised of UK jazz greats such as Byron Wallen, Theon and Nathaniel Cross, Chelsea Carmichael, Robert Stillman and Jason Yarde.
With the album's announcement came the release of its fifth single, the eerie, acoustic guitar-driven Free in the Knowledge. Played by Yorke at multiple recent solo shows, the song features plaintive acoustic strums couched in stunning string arrangements and dreamy, textural piano work courtesy of Greenwood.
You can watch its equally haunting music video – directed by Leo Leigh – below.
Free in the Knowledge was preceded by the release of You Will Never Work In Television Again, The Smoke, Skrting On The Surface and Pana-vision.
The Smile are set to promote A Light for Attracting Attention with a European tour that's set to begin on May 16 with a show in Zagreb, Croatia and run through July 20. The band played their first three public gigs at the London event space Magazine – which we happened to witness in person – in January.
You can take a look at A Light for Attracting Attention's cover art and track list below.
To preorder the album, visit The Smile's website (opens in new tab).
The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention:
- The Same
- The Opposite
- You Will Never Work in Television Again
- Pana-vision
- The Smoke
- Speech Bubbles
- Thin Thing
- Open The Floodgates
- Free In The Knowledge
- A Hairdryer
- Waving A White Flag
- We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings
- Skrting On The Surface
