Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood have doubled as The Smile since debuting the side-project band in 2021, and they will soon release their sophomore album as The Smile. Wall Of Eyes is due out January 26, but Uproxx’s Steven Hyden already placed it 13th on his “Every Radiohead Album (Plus Solo Records and Side Projects), Ranked” list.
“I understand ‘cozy’ might not seem like a positive adjective in the context of a Radiohead-adjacent record, but the warmth of Wall Of Eyes hits like an invigorating balm given how chilly it has been under the Radiohead umbrella for much of the 15-plus years,” Hyden wrote, in part.
That sentiment serves as a sort of perfect segue into the stormy cloud of breakup rumors hovering over Radiohead.
Is Radiohead Breaking Up?
Predictably, Greenwood and Yorke’s 2021 launch of The Smile sparked speculation that the introduction of The Smile meant the end of Radiohead. Those rumors have resurfaced with the imminent arrival of Wall Of Eyes, but in January 2023, Spin published an interview with Radiohead drummer Philip Selway, where he addressed the rumors.
“As far as I know, we’re still a band,” Selway said. “If anybody knows any different, I’d be very interested.” Selway added, “For me, whatever we do, it all falls under that umbrella of the five of us. Ultimately, it all feeds into it.”
In February 2023, Selway chatted with Uproxx’s Steven Hyden about his solo album, Strange Dance, and he was asked about how his and other members’ solo efforts away from Radiohead aided the band’s longevity.
“I think it’s been essential, really,” Selway responded. “We’re all aware that Radiohead works in a particular way, and that’s a really effective way, and are really proud of what we’ve done with that. But when you’ve been making music for 40 years, there are going to be avenues that you want to go down which don’t necessarily fit in that mold. I think it must be the same for all of us. For me, back in Radiohead, you really value what’s there. But you also really get a greater sense of who you are as a musician in your own right.”
Radiohead last toured together in 2018, as per Concert Archives, and the most recent Radiohead album was 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool.
