the smile
Photo: Alex Lake / Two Short Days. All rights reserved.
The Smile have released a new track and music video called “Bending Hectic”. The song was produced by Sam Petts-Davies, who has previously worked for Warpaint, Klangstof and Radiohead. In 2016 he collaborated with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their album Getaway.
The Smile first performed “Bending Hectic” during their performance at the 2022 Montreux Jazz Festival. The track became an instant fan favorite, who asked online for an official release of the song. And now the time has come. Earlier this year, The Smile recorded the single accompanied by the London Contemporary Orchestra with strings at Abbey Road Studios in London.
The song is almost like a psychedelic trip and seems to follow the motto: deceleration instead of fast pace. From the fifth of the eight minutes, a wonderful acoustic chaos is thrown in until it is allowed to subside again. On top of that: distorted guitar sounds and Thom Yorke’s hypnotizing vocals.
The music video was animated by Sabrina Nichols and Stanley Donwood.
The Smile are a three piece band consisting of Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonathan “Jonny” Greenwood and jazz drummer Tom Skinner. They released their debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention, last year.
In March 2023, The Smile confirmed that they have been busy recording a second album for seven weeks. When exactly this will appear, however, is not yet known. The new single “Bending Hectic” is now available on all major streaming platforms as well as at this link listen.