The Smile—the new band featuring Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner—have announced that their debut album A Light for Attracting Attention is coming May 13 via XL. It was produced and mixed by Nigel Godrich and mastered by Bob Ludwig. The trio previewed the album with the singles "You Will Never Work in Television Again," "The Smoke," "Skirting the Surface," and "Pana-vision." Along with the album announcement, they've shared another track "Free in the Knowledge" with a video directed by Leo Leigh.
The new visual is cryptic, opening with devastating scenes of men seemingly gasping for breath—one man seems to be quivering at the sights he's experienced. Other unexplained images are woven in, including a hawk roaming overhead and another man is covered in mud. "Free in the knowledge / One day this will end / Free in the knowledge / Everything has changed," Yorke sings over high-pitched synths and an acoustic guitar. Later in the video, a pagan ritual takes place.
Greenwood shared his excitement for the upcoming release with a note. "And finally! A release date for our new album A Light for Attracting Attention, a new song, the artwork that Thom and Stanley have been painting all winter—and a sense that we will get to share, at last, our new music in full," he wrote. "I feel grateful that we managed, with Nigel’s help, to record these songs in a way they deserve. And the singles released so far have been liked—as far as I can tell—which makes me feel dangerously confident in the rest of the record."
Watch the video for "Free in the Knowledge" below, and pre-order A Light for Attracting Attention here.
