The English grunge band Radiohead began their career in 1993 with their debut album Pablo Honey—a simple, formulaic release meant to chase the fame of Nirvana’s breakthrough hit record Nevermind. But the five-piece soon made a name for themselves as pioneers that transformed the entire alternative rock genre with subsequent releases, such as the outer-space aesthetic of 1997’s OK Computer, the desolate electronica of 2000’s Kid A, and the aching sincerity of 2007’s In Rainbows.
However, Radiohead’s most recent studio album, A Moon-Shaped Pool, was released in 2016, an entire 8 years ago. Outside of anniversary reissues of previous records, the group hasn’t shown signs of releasing new music anytime soon. Being groundbreaking takes time, a reality that lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood became frustrated with during the Covid-19 pandemic. This led to the formation of The Smile—a side project consisting of Greenwood, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, and jazz drummer Tom Skinner.
Through The Smile, Yorke, Greenwood, and Skinner have been able to innovate at a faster pace with lower stakes. The group borrows heavily from Radiohead’s experimental rock sound, with more jazz and progressive rock influences, which makes for a looser, groovier sound. The trio released their debut record, A Light For Attracting Attention, in May 2022 and their follow-up, Wall Of Eyes, in January 2024, both to positive reviews. And now, Cutouts, the group’s third album recorded in the same studio sessions as Wall Of Eyes, released on October 4th, 2024.
Cutouts opens with Foreign Spies, an enthralling electronica track that immediately captures the audience’s attention. The soaring synth arrangements are able to craft a spacious, immersive soundscape, accompanied by cryptic lyrics: “In a beautiful world / We are melting”. The contrast builds an atmosphere of unnerving tranquility, evoking a powerful sense of paranoia in only four minutes and 48 seconds—an amazing introduction to what is The Smile’s most ambitious project yet.
Track three, Zero Sum, returns to the trio’s typical rock stylings, with some embellishments. Greenwood’s bouncy lead guitar line moves at a breakneck pace, creating an impeccable groove throughout the song’s nearly three-minute run time. The lyrics criticize the wealthy, expressing concern for the environment in the face of humanity’s growing overconsumption. The brass fills that arrive shortly after the first chorus and reappear throughout the second half of the song add a unique flavor to what’s already one of the album’s major highlights.
One of the other standouts is Tiptoe, the seventh track on the record. The group displays their more delicate side with a song that’s soft and slow. A simple piano melody barely obscures sounds of conversation in the background, introducing a soulful string section that builds to a powerful crescendo as the track progresses. Compare that to the album’s next song, The Slip, a jazz-rock groove with an infectious bassline, a springy synth melody, and a deftly executed drum beat from Skinner. The guitar riff that enters with the pre-chorus adds a certain bombast that jolts the audience awake after the somber atmosphere of its predecessor.
Bodies Laughing brings Cutouts to an eerie, mysterious close. A subdued acoustic guitar accompanies a rumbly bass, with ghastly electronic elements taking center stage later in the track. Yorke’s sinister vocals and lyrics accentuate the song’s creepy ambiance: “Falling through the glass / And everybody’s laughing / Bodies laughing”. The track is a fantastic representation of the band’s new sound, concluding the record incredibly.
Cutouts vastly expands on the horizons The Smile set out to explore on their previous albums. The trio’s chemistry endures throughout a variety of different musical styles, ranging from prog-rock to baroque pop to jazz to electronica—often a splendidly chaotic combination of all four—creating a record that’s densely atmospheric, sonically unique, and profoundly captivating from start to finish.
