It looks like Thom Yorke is ready to reveal his new “dystopian” solo album.
As Pitchfork points out, mysterious ads for “Anima Technologies” have popped up on London trains, in Milan photo booths, and within the pages of The Dallas Observer. The ads promise to help you remember your dreams with something called a “dream camera,” and includes a phone number (916-619-6192). Upon dialing the number, a pre-recorded voice message claims that “Anima Technologies has been ordered by the authorities to cease and desist from undertaking its advertised business.” An unreleased Yorke tracked called “Not the News” is then played.
A corresponding website for Anima Technologies contains a similar message saying that the company has “been ordered by the High Court to cease and desist from undertaking its advertised business” and that the website “has been seized by the Authorities to prevent anymore on-line activities in relation to the aforementioned business.”
In an interview with Crack earlier this spring, Yorke said his as-yet-untitled third LP is inspired by his own ongoing anxieties as well as his fears about world events. He also cited Flying Lotus as a major influence, explaining that the producer’s semi-improvized live shows changed the way he thinks about making music.
How “Anima Technologies” ties back to all this remains to be seen, but the cryptic advertisements suggest we’ll find our sooner than later. If Yorke’s most recently releases are any indication, we can expect to hear the LP any day now and without much, if any, advanced warning. So, keep your eyes glued.
Update – June 17th: With a new album seemingly imminent, Yorke has scheduled new North American tour dates for this fall.
Update – June 20th: Yorke has announced the release of his new solo album. Entitled ANIMA, the Radiohead frontman’s third full-length solo effort to date will arrive digitally on Thursday, June 27th. A physical release will follow on Friday, July 19th.
In the meantime, Yorke and the rest of Radiohead recently released 18 hours worth of leaked recordings from the sessions for OK Computer. Enjoy that cache of music here.
Hey #London folks! We think we have spotted part of an ARG on the tube this morning (Jubilee line).
Anyone know anything more about this?#Anima#AnimaTechnologies pic.twitter.com/7GM4Eks5jY
— Kim Warren (@Fellwolf) June 13, 2019
