It has been almost a decade since the last Radiohead record landed, but it’s not like that space has been filled with silence. ‘Cutouts’ is the second release by The Smile — Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood alongside Sons of Kemet’s Tom Skinner — in 2024 and their third in two years. As we have come to expect it is another varied album charting their diverse range of influences in a more playful manner than Yorke and Greenwood might have in the past.
Recorded alongside January’s ‘Wall of Eyes’ in Oxford and at Abbey Road, this is far from more of the same, with a free-flowing, expansive feel throughout. The eerie opener Foreign Spies showcases Yorke and Greenwood’s background in scoring films, with haunting synths and gently manipulated vocals slowly coming into the picture.
Instant Psalm is accompanied by strings from the London Contemporary Orchestra, jostling with Greenwood’s guitar tone and Skinner’s subdued drums. The soothing sounds mask the bleakness of the lyrics, with Yorke singing about overflowing in a hurricane.
Zero Sum brings Skinner and Greenwood to the fore with a striking, almost funk, guitar riff battling with Skinner’s drums. This is one of the shorter tracks at under three minutes but it still showcases plenty of ambition and range, balancing the three members’ contributions perfectly.
Colours Fly again puts Skinner at the forefront with an almost afrobeat intro really showcasing the jazz influences behind The Smile, something that’s scattered across the record. The track, one of the LP’s highlights, gradually segues into something darker, packed full of intriguing details. As with the album as a whole it is thrilling to see three such talented and successful musicians work so well in tandem, willing to try new things and apparently making them work so effortlessly.
Eyes & Mouth has some wonderful work from Greenwood. Again, it almost verges on funk in a highly entertaining opening made even more impressive by Skinner’s dynamic beats. It would be hard to find something this enjoyable on a Radiohead album and this is one of The Smile’s main accomplishments: creating a tone that is their own, without needing to be compared to their previous work.
‘Cutouts’ is more freeform and loose than its predecessor, with Skinner’s jazz background rubbing off on his bandmates. As such it is a highly enjoyable, unpredictable listen that sounds like everyone involved had a blast making it. The Smile continues to be more than simply a Radiohead side project, delivering consistent quality and bringing the best out of everyone involved.
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