Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Music
  3. News

Is Radiohead putting the finishing touches on their latest album?

Chris Leo Palermino
By

radiohead delights fans by gifting unused spectre bond theme song band
Daniele Dalledonne/Flickr
Radiohead appears to be closing in on the mix for their ninth studio album. While an official announcement has not been made, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich tweeted out a photo yesterday depicting guitarist Jonny Greenwood in the studio at the helm of the soundboard. The picture follows recent news that the band had “done a couple of months of recording” for the yet-to-be-titled album this past fall, according to The Sunday Guardian.

While the text may be confusing, it’s highly unlikely 65-year-old fashionista Anna Wintour is responsible for laying down the tracks Greenwood is dialing up. Rather, it’s a good bet Radiohead is closing in on their latest studio endeavor.

Recommended Videos

“We haven’t listened to anything back yet, so at the moment we’re all very happy,” Greenwood quipped about Radiohead’s latest project to the Sunday Guardian in February. “Now, I guess we’re going to go and listen to what we’ve done and see if we were right to be so happy. But we left it at a good place when we last stopped.” The band was reportedly slated to continue work on the album this spring following a break.

Related

Greenwood also mentioned that the new album marks another change in Radiohead’s style. “It’s too involved [to explain how],” he told the Sunday Guardian. “We’re kind of limiting ourselves; working in limits. So we’ll see what happens. It’s like we’re trying to use very old and very new technology together to see what happens.” For those who’ve followed the band’s evolution from alt-rock, to a hybrid fusion of electronica, prog-rock, and all-out pop experimentation over the years, it’s an intriguing hint at what’s to come.

There isn’t a timeframe on the new project’s release. Drummer Philip Selway recently told UK music publication Drowned in Sound that “[he] wouldn’t want to start to predict that kind of thing.” And, considering the numerous projects that Radiohead members are involved in, we don’t expect that they’re in a rush. Lead singer Thom Yorke released a solo record last year, Selway put out a solo album this past October, and Greenwood composed the score for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Inherent Vice.”

We’ll be watching for a new record though, especially considering the band’s recent experimentation in distribution: Both “King of Limbs” and “In Rainbows” (2007) were surprise, self-distributed releases, as well as critical and financial successes. And we’re sure that Radiohead has something interesting in mind for distribution of this upcoming album. Considering that Thom Yorke may have made as musch as $24 million from his 2014 solo release Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes through BitTorrent, maybe the band will use the service again?

In both sonic flavor and distribution method, the only thing predictable when it comes to a new Radiohead album is unpredictability.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Chris Leo Palermino
Chris Leo Palermino
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Chris Leo Palermino is a music, tech, business, and culture journalist based between New York and Boston. He also contributes…
The best albums of 2018
From Jay Rock to Saba, these are the 50 best albums of 2018
best albums of 2018 so far

Each week of 2018, we've listened to as much new music as possible -- not just because we love new music, but also to help our readers separate the best and brightest from the so-so. Each week, our post of the best songs to stream serves up the most enticing new music we've come across. In the process, we've slowly assembled a master playlist of our favorite albums of the year.

With the help of our editorial staff, who love all kinds of music, we've dialed up a living, breathing portrait of some of the most exciting sounds currently being made by both newcomers and long-established artists. Below are the best albums of 2018.

Read more
How to convert your vinyl to a digital format
Rebirth of cool: Is vinyl ready for a second wind, or just a fad?

It doesn't matter one bit if your vinyl collection consists of just a single milk crate or if it fills several Ikea Kallax shelves and is slowly taking over your home — we can all agree that there's just something about vinyl.

Maybe it's the warm, uncompressed sound spinning off a solid turntable, or the feel of holding a physical piece of art in your hands while the record spins — it's a special experience that has regained much of its glory in a world dominated by digital streaming. The problem is, records are fragile, and crates full of them don't fit in your back pocket.

Read more
How to find your lost AirPods using the Find My app
A pair of blue AirPods Max sitting on a table.

Apple's AirPods provide durable, true wireless sound for your music, podcasts, movies, TV, and more, but they’re also tiny sticks that sit in your ears -- which means they're easy to lose, and accidents can happen. You may know the feeling of leaving your AirPods behind or reaching up and suddenly realizing you only have one AirPod left in your ear -- oh, the horror!

The good news is, Apple's Find My service is designed just for these situations and can help you locate your lost AirPods, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max from an iPhone, iPad, or on your computer, pinpointing their location on a map and even allowing you to trigger a sound to help you find them. There's also a Lost Mode, notification options so you won't forget your AirPods, and more. Here's how it all works.

Read more