The Smile emerged in 2022 six years after the last full-length Radiohead album A Moon Shaped Pool. Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and drummer Tom Skinner got together to make pared down rock and roll, with Yorke and Greenwood switching back and forth between bass, guitar , and electronics. The result was the excellent A Light For Attracting Attention, a tour-de-force of moody, sonic set pieces that veered from skeletal rock and roll to angular post-punk and heady art rock.
Besides Yorke and Greenwood’s work in film(Yorke scoring the Suspiria remake and Greenwood’s continued partnership with Paul Thomas Anderson) The Smile was the most exciting work to come out of any Radiohead-adjacent project since 2008s In Rainbows. There was a sense that these three were genuinely having fun making music together. It was palpable, and the songs were engaging and progressive in spirit.
A year and a half later The Smile returns with Wall Of Eyes, a contender for album of the year and it’s only January. Taking that spirit of experimentation even further, Wall Of Eyes is a leaner take on what came before. The songs are more cohesive and honed in; a softer touch is deployed in certain tracks, giving us some of the warmest and all-encompassing songs we’ve heard from Yorke and Greenwood. The Smile prove to the naysayers that this isn’t Radiohead 2.1. The Smile is its own, masterful beast.
Title track and album opener “Wall Of Eyes” opens in subtle rhythms and a somber mood. Thom Yorke sings in a echoed and soulful cry while we’re surrounded sonically in atmosphere and muted beauty. Noises rise from the mix like ghosts as you listen. It’s one of the most stunning things I’ve heard in a while. Greenwood colors the blank spots in orchestration like little whispers. It’s dizzying in the best way. “Read The Room” is layered in ominous tones and there’s even a touch of XTC here in Yorke’s vocal delivery, bringing to mind Drums and Wires‘ “Complicated Game”. Tom Skinner puts his jazz chops to good use here. The band locks into an almost Krautrock big beat 3/4 the way through.
Where The Smile’s debut felt looser than what came with Radiohead, Wall Of Eyes feels more intentional. That’s not to say its easily unlocked or solved like a puzzle. Even the beautiful “Friend Of A Friend” carries mysteries all the while lulling you with its distinct bass line and Thom Yorke’s falsetto. It’s one of the prettiest songs the band has written, with understated piano and a subtle swing rhythm. But the song flips halfway in with psychedelic undertones and dizzying orchestration. “Bending Hectic”, which came out last year, starts out in quiet tones but builds to a wall of fuzz guitar and bombastic drums that covers over 8 minutes.
From the subtle psychedelic tones of “Teleharmonic” to the angular post-punk of “Under Our Pillow” to the beautiful piano finish of “You Know Me!”, The Smile have made a wonderful follow-up to a stunning debut. Wall Of Eyes not only holds up to the promise of their stunning debut, it surpasses it in every way.
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