The Smile is an English rock band formed by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, joined by drummer Tom Skinner of Sons of Kemet. The trio came together during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown as a creative alternative—an outlet unbound by the expectations attached to Radiohead.
They made their unexpected debut via a Glastonbury livestream in 2021. In May 2022, they released their first album, A Light for Attracting Attention, blending art rock, post-punk, progressive rock, and electronics, all produced by longtime Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich. The album ranges from the aggressive guitar urgency of “You Will Never Work in Television Again” to lush, layered tracks like “Free in the Knowledge.”
Their follow-up, Wall of Eyes (2024), took their sound further into experimental and progressive territories. With Skinner’s jazz-informed rhythm driving unconventional grooves and Greenwood’s orchestral and psychedelic textures, the band demonstrated real evolution beyond their Radiohead roots.
In October 2024, they released Cutouts, recorded during the same sessions as Wall of Eyes but distinguished by its looser, funkier, and more improvisational feel. Greenwood deepened the ensemble’s sonic range, Skinner anchored with rhythmic finesse, and Yorke delivered introspective lyrics ripe with existential tension.
The Smile continues to redefine boundaries—existing at the crossroads of art rock, jazz, experimentation, and raw musical energy. Their live shows are high in visual aesthetic and emotional intensity, earning them recognition not just as a Radiohead side project, but as standalone architects of contemporary experimental rock.
