Thom Yorke has been focusing efforts on his Radiohead side project The Smile, which made it that much more surprising when he released a new solo track called “5.17” without warning this morning.
Though it’s unclear why the song came out today, it may not be a coincidence that its arrival coincides with the third episode of Peaky Blinders’ sixth season — Yorke and his bandmate Jonny Greenwood reportedly contributed music to the show.
“Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood contributed some original stuff,” Peaky Blinders director Anthony Byrne previously told NME. “I’m over the moon about all of that. The music has always been really important historically, and I was really keen to bring a dramatic score into it. We’re using that much more in this season. It’s a much heavier season so the score is taking things in a very different direction.”
Radiohead’s “You & Whose Army?” and “Pyramid Song” have also been featured in the show, and Yorke’s new piano ballad has a similar tone to those songs.
A second new Yorke song — “That’s How Horses Are” — is scheduled for release on April 3, which also happens to be the date of Peaky Blinders’ series finale.
Listen to “5.17” below.
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The Smile is prepping a debut album and has shared two tracks: “You Will Never Work In Television” and “The Smoke.”
Tagged: New Music, NEWS, Thom Yorke