The Smile have shared the music video for their new track “Friend of a Friend,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Watch it below.
Shot on 35mm, the video for “Friend of a Friend” sees Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Tom Skinner performing in an auditorium filled with bemused elementary school children.
The video arrives a day before The Smile will release their sophomore album, Wall of Eyes, which we named as one of the most anticipated albums of 2024. The music video for “Friend of a Friend” marks the supergroup’s third collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson, who previously directed the video for Wall of Eyes‘ title track as well as the album’s accompanying cinematic event, Wall Of Eyes, On Film.
The trio — comprised of Tom Skinner and Radiohead’s Yorke and Greenwood — previously shared singles “Friend of a Friend,” Wall of Eyes’ title track, and “Bending Hectic,” which landed on our list of the 200 best songs of 2023. In his review, Consequence’s Jonah Krueger praised Wall of Eyes, calling it a “swirling, vibrant world that distills the foundation of its predecessor down to the essentials before letting what’s left bloom and mutate into its own beast.” He also named “Friend of a Friend” as a standout track, writing that it ” quickly established itself as one of the best songs the trio has come through with yet.”
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The band hasn’t shared any North American tour dates yet, but they do have a slew of 2024 UK and European dates on the docket. Get tickets here, and see The Smile’s 2024 tour dates below.
The Smile 2024 Tour Dates:
03/13 – Copenhagen, DK @ K.B. Hallen
03/15 – Brussels, BE @ Forest National
03/16 – Amsterdam, NL @ AFAS Live
03/18 – Brighton, UK @ Brighton Centre
03/19 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
03/20 – Glasgow, UK @ SEC Armadillo
03/22 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy
03/23 – London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
06/06-07 – Aarhus, DK @ NorthSide Festival
06/08 – Hamburg, DE @ Stadtpark Open Air
06/09 – Cologne, DE @ Palladium
06/11 – Berlin, DE @ Verti Music Hall
06/12 – Prague, CZ @ Forum Karlin
06/14 – Belgrade, HR @ Hangar
06/15 – Pula, CR @ Pula Arena
06/17 – Bucharest, RO @ Arenele Romane
06/18 – Sofia, BG @ Sofia Arena
06/20 – Athens, GR @ Release Athens Festival
06/23 – Rome, IT @ Cavea Auditorium
08/08-10 – Gothenburg, SE @ Way Out West Festival
08/09 – Oslo, NO @ Oya Festival
08/10-11 – Helsinki, FI @ Flow Festival
08/13 – Sigulda, LV @ Sigulda Castle
08/14 – Warsaw, PL @ Summer Stage
08/20 – Frankfurt, DE @ Jahrunderthalle
08/21 – Munich, DE @ Zenith
08/22 – Vienna, AT @ Open Air Arena
08/25 – Paris, FR @ Rock en Seine
08/26 – Bordeaux, FR @ Krakatoa
08/28 – Valencia, ES @ Jardins De Viveros
08/29-31 – Lisbon, PT @ Meo Kalorama Festival