On the morning of January 11, as is their custom, the band Radiohead mysteriously dropped the track “Ill Wind” on an unsuspecting public.
The band’s first since 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool LP, “Ill Wind” continues the group’s alt-rock/chill-jazz vibe, tied together with Thom Yorke’s vocals floating in the reverb ether.
A look at the art design for the single’s icon, one suspects this was a song that might have made it onto A Moon Shaped Pool but didn’t. If, on this other hand, this is meant as the opening shot for a new full-length, it will mark a busy time for the band, with both Jonny Greenwood and Yorke involved with movie soundtracks (Yorke provided the spooky music for last fall’s remake of Suspiria). Plus, Yorke has been publicizing work on a new solo record, but that wouldn’t be the first time Radiohead engaged in PR subterfuge. We’ll have to wait and see.
ADDENDUM: A careful reader and Radiohead fan alerted MusicTAP that this track was included in the special edition of A Moon Shaped Pool along with the unused theme from Spectre. The band is releasing it to the general public that might not have been able to access it previously.
“Ill Wind” is available through Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Apple Music, and all the rest of the usual suspects.