The last few weeks have been relatively exasperating for Radiohead fans, as Thom Yorke was seen frequently updating his Twitter feed to leave a trail of cryptic clues, sharing archive images, mysterious looking artwork and PolyFauna screengrabs. Naturally, rumours began circulating that these images were pointing towards a new Radiohead release or Thom Yorke solo project, so to perhaps quash any further speculation, the frontman has now revealed that the band have started to record their ninth studio album. He also said that he and long-time collaborator and artist Stanley Donwood had been taking a nostalgia trip through previously unused material:
It’s confirmation that Radiohead are keeping to their previously suggested schedule: Both Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway had explained in interviews that the band would be visiting the studio in September. However, as members of the group, such as Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Selway - who is touring his new album Weatherhouse throughout February - have been ensconced in various solo ventures, it was uncertain whether the band would have time to reconvene for a Radiohead album. It was a fact that lead many to believe that the below image of draft lyrics to Radiohead’s 2003 album track A Wolf At The Door was a hint to some kind of Radiohead archive release or remix album.
However, it is still not yet confirmed what the mysterious white “12 record is that Yorke linked to on 22 September - an image which was also tweeted by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.
Despite the band retuning to the studio, there’s also no sign yet as to when the album might actually be released: Radiohead album release schedules have always been sporadic, with one year in-between Kid A and Amnesiac, four years between both Hail to the Thief and In Rainbows and their last album, The King of Limbs, released a day earlier than expected in 2011. Back in July, the band’s guitarist Greenwood told The Sunday Times that there was no set plan for a release date: “Release? No, no idea. No,” he said. “Our plan is to start making music soon. We’ve just got to get the inertia back.”
Below are a selection of chronological and cryptic Thom Yorke teasers for you to piece together in the meantime, featuring barren forests, many of which mirror the visuals used throughout their PolyFauna app, which was updated recently:
