The Smile: who are the artists behind the band’s music videos

O The Smile took a few dozen fans to Cineclube Cortina, in the center of São Paulo, last Monday, 22nd, with Wall Of Eyes, On Film. Just over 50 people occupied the cinema room — set up with beach chairs — to watch, exclusively, footage of recording sessions and listen, in advance, to the band’s new album, which will be released this Friday, the 26th.

At the beginning of the exhibition, the event organizers warned the public: “The beginning may seem strange, but that’s how it is.” Then images showing Thom Yorke (Radiohead, Atoms for Peace), Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead) It is Tom Skinner (Sons of Kemet) working on the songs of Wall Of Eyes were designed for spectators. The artists shook their heads and produced countless expressions on their faces to the rhythm of the songs that were born. The sound, until then, was unknown, as the film was broadcast without sound.

Soon after, the title track filled the room accompanied by an animation of Sabrina Nichols about a painting of Stanley Donwood. It was not a sacrifice to “watch” the album, as the duo of visual artists provided an extremely sensitive and pertinent interpretation of each of the songs. In the energetic “Bending Hectic”, for example, the tension built with violins in the second half of the song was combined with color inversions and lots of luminosity — an idea worthy of a synesthetic experience.

Nichols has shown his talent alongside the The Smile since the band’s first album. “Pana-vision” and “Free in the Knowledge” are some of the tracks that were animated by the artist. Big Thief It is Julien Bakeramong other musicians, were also recognized for their work Sabrina. She is an intern at [adult swim]artist-in-residence at UUU Gallery and produces videos for the record label Beggars Group.

The work of Donwood is familiar to anyone who follows the Radiohead. Yorke and he met when they were still art students at the University of Exeter, in the United Kingdom. The two created the covers for the band’s albums together. Radioheadsince The Bends (1995). Stanley also produced arts for the festival Glastonbury and he is a writer.

Before the melancholy calmed down, music videos directed by Paul Thomas Anderson were shown one after the other, starting with “Friend of a Friend”, which will be released this Thursday, the 25th. The show ended with “Daydreaming”, by Radiohead. Everyone present also took a poster of the The Smile home.

Check out the tracklist Wall Of Eyessecond studio album by The Smile:

1. “Wall of Eyes”
2. “Teleharmonic”
3. “Read the Room”
4. “Under our Pillows”
5. “Friend of a Friend”
6. “I Quit”
7. “Bending Hectic”
8. “You Know Me!”