The Smile, composed of two icons from Radiohead, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, along with drummer Tom Skinner, release their third album titled “Cutouts“. It includes tracks produced during the same recording sessions as its predecessor “Wall of Eyes,” which was released at the beginning of 2024.
Yorke (vocals, bassist, and keyboardist) clarifies that the material in “Cutouts” isn’t made up of outtakes from the previous album but is “its own album”. They just decided to stagger the releases to give themselves more time to work on this other collection of songs.
“Cutouts” opens with “Foreign Spies” an atmospheric track with a somber and depressive sound, built upon the sound of a vibrant analog synthesizer, over which Yorke’s voice unfolds, singing about a beautiful world, something that contrasts slightly with the music’s character, as if it were an ironic lament. This song reminds me of the solo albums by the singer.
“Instant Psalms” introduces synthesized string sounds over a delicately arpeggiated acoustic guitar, that bring to mind Greenwood’s (guitar and keyboards) experimental compositions for films. Again, it’s a slow song that extends the sentiment of the previous, adding a good dose of emotional alienation. Yorke’s voice sounds beautiful, singing a melody that slightly reminds me of a lullaby.
With “Zero Sum” the band surprises us by accelerating the beat, suddenly shifting to a hyper-active feel. But it’s not exactly happy music, it’s somewhat paranoid. The song is based on an angular electric guitar, typical of Greenwood’s work in his main band, and a quite jazzy drum rhythm. There’s also the appearance of a saxophone playing avant-garde melodies. It’s a memorable moment.
What strikes me most about this song is the lyrics. Yorke recounts being inspired by footage of executives dancing at a Windows 95 launch event, featuring the central lines “Thinking all the ways the system will provide. Windows 95, Windows 95.” It’s a line that syncs with the song’s paranoid feel and resonates especially well in this era where the topic of AI potentially taking over the world is so relevant.
“Colours Fly” begins with a bass line that somewhat reminds me of Radiohead’s “The National Anthem” but with a menacing feel. The lyrics, which make me think of an imminent doom, along with the piercing and arabesque electric guitar lines, add to this feeling. Personally, this song manages to make me a bit nervous when listening to it. It’s possibly the darkest moment on the album, and that’s saying something. It concludes with an interesting dissonant collage.
“Don’t Get Me Started” again invokes the sense of paranoia. It opens with a minimalist synthesizer phrase that repeats throughout the song in a hypnotic cyclical structure, with Yorke’s voice filling the sonic space with his ethereal presence. Eventually, a dense, almost tribal drum beat appears, contributing to the creation of a very intriguing atmosphere.
One of my favorite tracks from the collection, “Tiptoe”, features a simple jazzy piano, adorned with symphonic strings, over which Yorke sings dystopian lyrics, describing a scenario where “you will find us in the rubble”; people hiding, “people tiptoe, tiptoe, far away from the windows”; later mentioning someone eating scraps from the swill. Musically, though somewhat unsettling, it’s one of the album’s most beautiful pieces.
I should mention that many of the songs had been composed by the members years ago, most notably the acoustic ballad reminiscent of Radiohead “Bodies Laughing” which concludes the album, a song Yorke says he wrote 20 years ago but couldn’t finish until trying it with The Smile.
The production sound of “Cutouts” is truly excellent. How much more fidelity could a music production have? I’m genuinely impressed by the high sonic quality of music these days. Every detail of all instruments and vocals is fully appreciated. However, I must say the album sounds a bit cold and sterile, which I assume is deliberate, to accompany the album’s themes like emotional alienation, paranoia, indifference, and a dystopian future.
As an additional note, Yorke has commented that the album title is inspired by the word “cutout,” a term from the espionage world referring to “a trusted intermediary who facilitates communication between agents, knowing only the source and destination of the information, but not the identities of the involved parties, thus protecting members of a spy cell.”
“Cutouts” is an album that reveals its charm with repeated listens. It requires effort, but it’s a rewarding endeavor. It’s music created with dedication by world-class influential artists.
Those who enjoy creative and experimental music will find much to appreciate in “Cutouts.” I believe all Radiohead fans will also be satisfied with this release. If you haven’t given The Smile a chance yet, this album is an excellent entry point.
