The Smile have shared the single ‘Bending Hectic’, their first new release of 2023 — check out the track below.
The band — comprising Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner — unveiled the new track today, and it marks their first new music since their acclaimed debut LP ‘A Light For Attracting Attention’, which arrived last year.
Produced by Sam Petts-Davies and featuring strings by the London Contemporary Orchestra, the standalone single may not be entirely new for all listeners, as the trio first debuted the track during their appearance at one of their previous live shows.
Initially, the track was performed during the band’s set at Montreux Jazz Festival in 2022, although was not included on the subsequent live album, which arrived later in the year. Due to this, the mystery track soon became “a word-of-mouth phenomenon” according to press, with both “fans and critics calling for its release”.
Now, nearly a year since it was first teased during the festival slot, the song today (June 20) gets its global digital release via XL Recordings. Check it out below.
As per the press release, the new track is not taken from any upcoming project, and is instead a standalone single that has been highly anticipated by fans. It was recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London.
It also arrives just one day before the rock trio embark on their extensive tour, featuring dates in both Mexico and the United States. Kicking off tomorrow, The Smile will start their 16-date run with their first-ever performances in Mexico City. This will take place across two days (June 21-22) with a residency at the National Auditorium.
From there, the band will tour the United States and Canada, marking The Smile’s debut live performances in every city they play — with the exception of New York. Two dates in Austin, Texas are lined up first (June 25-26), before Yorke and co. make later stops in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Vancouver, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Quebec, Ontario, Missouri and Illinois.
Find a full list of upcoming tour dates and purchase any remaining tickets here.
In other news, earlier this year, members of The Smile confirmed that work had begun on a follow-up album to their 2022 debut ‘A Light For Attracting Attention’.
“The frustration of having not had access to playing in a band for a couple of years [has] just built up a big backlog of ideas,” Greenwood said in a past interview. “We’re still firing off each other, and it feels productive. So, while that’s happening, we just wanna keep moving forward, I think.”
Alongside ‘Bending Hectic’, the trio also debuted three other songs throughout their European tour last summer before releasing them at a later date: ‘Bodies Laughing’, ‘Friend Of A Friend’ and ‘Colours Fly’.