Thom Yorke doesn’t know when to quit, as this is The Smile’s second release this year — their second album, Wall of Eyes, released in February and scored a Green from me. The side project’s debut album released back in 2022.
Cutouts is still very much in the Experimental and Art Rock space, but there’s a bit more life to it than Wall of Eyes had, other critics have flagged Post-Punk elements, which I confess I’m not incredibly familiar with — but that would explain the contrast in tone, as well as where “Zero Sum” comes from.
“Zero Sum” is the album’s third track (of ten, total), and it’s very upbeat with an almost Red Hot Chili Peppers vibe to it. By contrast, the two songs which precede it are sort of low-and-slow, with their most notable moments being defined by discordance; they aren’t bad, but they aren’t comfortable, either. “Zero Sum” is manic, by comparison.
According to an interview that guitarist and bassist Johnny Greenwood had with Oor (a Dutch music publication), the song is based on footage of Microsoft executives dancing around at the launch event for Windows 95.
There are a few other upbeat tracks on the album, including “Eyes & Mouth”, “The Slip”, and “No Words”. Each has its own stylistic differences, providing different experiences over the course of a full listen, making the album much more compelling. Generally, these higher-tempo tracks are superior to their lower-tempo neighbors — “Tiptoe”, specifically, comes to mind here. But, also, while “Foreign Spies” and “Instant Psalm” are enjoyable, they also feel overshadowed by what comes after.
I think The Smile is on a clear upward trajectory. I’ve rated the first two Green (I thought I remembered the first one being Yellow), and this one has me considering a Teal — it’s the best yet. But I think the slower tracks being overshadowed kinda stalls that out.
Rating: Green