Released: 2024
Genres: Art Rock, Post-Rock, Krautrock
The Musiquarium’s Wall of Eyes Review Score: 10 out of 10
After six years of radio(head)-silence, The Smile’s 2022 debut, A Light for Attracting Attention, was a welcome surprise. While it wasn’t a new Radiohead album, it featured the two most important and prolific songwriters of that band, as well as Nigel Godrich as producer, so it was a satiating experience for those wanting their Radiohead fix.
Working much faster and efficiently than Radiohead, The Smile was already cooked-up a new batch of songs only two years later, escaping the fate of the one-off Thom Yorke project, Atoms for Peace. This time around, production was handled by Sam Pett-Davies, who worked as an engineer on Radiohead’s last album, A Moon Shaped Pool.
Compared to the band’s debut, Wall of Eyes uses more atmosphere and texture, with generally slower-paced songs, like the beautifully eerie title track, the intense car-crash song Bending Hectic (not the first time Thom has discussed his fear of cars) and the ethereal Teleharmonic. There are also tracks like Read the Room and Under Our Pillows, which are both driven by math rock riffs.
Wall of Eyes is an incredible follow-up that sees the trio hone in on their tight musicianship and prove that they are not just Radiohead-lite.
For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view The Smile on Discogs.
Back to the 2024 Album Guide or The Smile Reviews page.
Written by Brett Nippard
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