Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien has released a dreamy new track today. You can listen to ‘Brasil’ and watch the song’s accompanying short film below.
Last month, O’Brien shared what appeared to be the first snippet of music from his debut solo album. The Radiohead guitarist previously said in April that he hoped to release his first record by September.
Now, ‘Brasil’ has been confirmed as the first single to be released from O’Brien’s debut solo album under the new moniker, EOB.
Speaking about the new song’s origins, O’Brien said: “This is Brasil…demoed way back in 2013 with Ian Davenport at Courtyard Studios, Colin played bass…fast forward to Plas Dinam in Wales, the Fall of 2017…Flood at the wheel, we did a version with David Okumu, Nathan East and Omar Hakim…good but not right.
“Next stop Assault & Battery studios London…mid-Summer 2018 World Cup 2am Carnaval cosmic jam with Flood, Cecil Bartlett and Richie Kennedy…good but still not right…next up January 2019…drawing together all the threads, giving it some form and an Alan Moulder mix…yes we’re there…Phew..the last song to be finished…”
He continued: “The video was written and directed by Andrew Donoho, and as soon as I read his treatment, it felt completely right. I really love and am so thankful for what he and his crew have done. Hope you enjoy it…”
You can listen to the new song here:
O’Brien also added: “Brasil is a state of mind, not a place or time…H.P. Lovecraft, Kubrick, and Junji Ito have created some of my favorite sci-fi narratives…But I’ve always wanted to reinterpret their horrific premises into a more poetic and optimistic notion.
“What if an alien or higher being were to come to earth to help us achieve a greater existence, and not to destroy us? What would it look like if everyone on earth shared thoughts, experiences, and actions?
“The theory that humans, as a species, actually represent one large, singular organism has always fascinated me, and I wanted to explore that concept visually through a variety of different character perspectives, mediums, and impressionistic visual effects. All these layers and ideas culminated into our narrative for ‘Brasil.’”
O’Brien told The Pedal Show earlier this year that he had been working with producers Flood (U2, PJ Harvey) and Catherine Marks (Wolf Alice, The Big Moon) on the album.
A studio band will appear on the LP (the title and release date of which will be released soon) including The Invisible’s Dave Okumu, bassist Nathan East, and drummer Omar Hakim who previously appeared on David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’.
It’s now also been revealed that other collaborators on the album include Colin Greenwood, Adam “Cecil” Bartlett, Richie Kennedy, Laura Marling, Adrian Utley, Nathan East and Glenn Kotche.
O’Brien previously said the album was inspired by attending Carnival while he was living in Brazil.
He also told NME in April that the album is hugely influenced by the natural world. “It’s massive. It’s been part of where I’ve done all of my writing, where it started,” he said. “Being in the countryside, being inspired. Some of the recording happened in the countryside too.
“I know that one of the reasons it came about was going back to the country and having that clarity.”
