The third album from the
Radiohead-affiliated trio
the Smile appeared during the same year as the second, and the songs included on
Cutouts were actually recorded during the same sessions as previous effort
Wall of Eyes, with producer
Sam Petts-Davies. Several tracks on
Cutouts had been performed live by the band since their early shows in 2021 and 2022 and were conspicuously absent from their first two records. All of this, as well as the title, might make it seem like
Cutouts is an album of leftovers and outtakes, but it's obvious that the trio have an abundance of ideas, and they're able to shape them into another statement that stands up to the first two.
The album finds the group slightly expanding their sound by incorporating more electronics. Opener "Foreign Spies" is an ambient lullaby with gentle synths cushioning
Thom Yorke's feather-light vocals, eventually gaining chiming melodies that subtly hint at a suspenseful mood. The
London Contemporary Orchestra's strings bloom during the patiently unwinding "Instant Palm." Then the group kick into gear with the angular groove of "Zero Sum," which falls somewhere between
DFA-style dance-punk and a more restrained
black midi. Well-timed saxophones join the web-like guitar lines and a deeply satisfying bassline, as
Yorke curiously makes references to Windows 95. "Colours Fly" is dark, winding prog-rock that still tracks a steady path, even with oblong time signatures, and the way
Yorke's voice calls out "you can change your mind" makes it seem like the group is tunneling through a cave.
Tom Skinner's drumming on "Eyes & Mouth" channels Afrobeat pioneer
Tony Allen, while
Yorke's vocals shine under the spotlight as eerie backing vocals create a tense atmosphere. "The Slip" also employs complex polyrhythms, with softly ticking drum machines and vibrating synth bass layered along with
Skinner's constantly evolving beats.
Yorke's characteristically intriguing lyrics evoke a black hole at the center of the galaxy, as he warns of nuclear destruction at the hands of world leaders. The breezy yet anxious "No Words" seems to be directed at spineless Internet trolls and "click monkeys" who contribute nothing positive to society.
Even though
Cutouts was conceived at the same time as
Wall of Eyes, it's clearly a separate entity and a progression for the band. The average track time on this album is much shorter, so it doesn't have as much of the sprawl of their previous work, making it slightly more accessible. If there's any bone to pick, it's that some of the slower, more atmospheric numbers don't quite gel as well as the rest of the tracks. Still, the high points make
Cutouts every bit as worthy of devoted listening as the first two
Smile albums. ~ Paul Simpson