The Smile Tosses A Horror Spin With “Wall Of Eyes”
The horror doesn’t end with “Bending Hectic.” It’s only being amplified into deeper unsettling feelings in “Wall Of Eyes” — the title track and the centerpiece of the Radiohead spinoff’s upcoming album.
It’s not hard to see the trio’s overall aesthetic being established so far. With Thom Yorke’s signature falsetto, a child-like, stripped away Jonny Greenwood guitar, some ambient and certain noise-coiled expansion, The Smile crafts an artistic, atmospheric sonic experiment that aligns with the edgy side of rock. Having just released an album earlier this year, The Smile seems to be at a very prolific stage.
Wall Of Eyes is heavily colored in horror. Through dissonance and tearing distortion, the progression in “Wall Of Eyes” tastefully turns everything beautiful into a horror display. The once graceful string sharpens into a siren-like soar, completely uncanny at one point. A similar string cluster of distress also crawls into the soundscapes of “Bending Hectic,” the first single being released on this record. The atonal ending also put melodies in disarray. Let’s not forget Yorke’s spine-tingling stare in the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed music video — perhaps “Wall Of Eyes” is this season’s most unsettling horror film.
While their lyrics have been taking great pleasure in vagueness, the symbol of eyes being the passage of souls going hollow and black and white certainly has a deeper meaning. Applause for the unworthy and undeserving? Very interesting line too. There’s a very interesting contrast between the two songs being released so far. You can’t ignore the poetry in them — “Bending Hectic” recalls a familiar craze and flame, while “Wall Of Eyes” explores a certain something’s transformation into hollowness.
Wall Of Eyes echoes the change of time. A perfect horror soundtrack for the true horror of reality.
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The Smile: Wall Of Eyes
Tracklist:
01 Wall of Eyes
02 Teleharmonic
03 Read the Room
04 Under Our Pillows
05 Friend of a Friend
06 I Quit
07 Bending Hectic
08 You Know Me!
Wall Of Eyes Release Date
The album is set to be out on Jan. 26.
