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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesWall of Eyes is The Smile’s stronger, more open-ended second album: an eight-song art-rock record that trades some of its debut’s tightly wound grooves for airy space, restless rhythms, and a few striking surges. Its best moments—especially “Friend of a Friend” and “Bending Hectic”—make that restraint feel deliberate; “I Quit” is less convincing.
What does Wall of Eyes sound like?
The Smile—Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and drummer Tom Skinner—make music that can feel suspended and unsettled at once. On Wall of Eyes, soft-edged vocals and open arrangements sit beside Greenwood’s angular guitar, Skinner’s nimble playing, and strings from the London Contemporary Orchestra. The result moves through art rock, jazz, kosmische, and progressive-rock colors without settling into one style.
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Wall of Eyes | $16.57 | Buy on Amazon |
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Jazz Monroe’s Pitchfork review describes the album as “Channeling jazz, kosmische, and prog,” and emphasizes how its eclectic elements remain exposed rather than being smoothed into a single sound. Apple Music’s album listing characterizes the arrangements as leaner and airier than those on the debut. Those descriptions capture the central trade-off: atmosphere and tension are the album’s strengths, but its quieter stretches can sometimes seem to drift.
How does it compare with the debut?
The 2022 debut, A Light for Attracting Attention, often felt coiled around tight grooves and wrenching guitar parts. Wall of Eyes gives its parts more room. The change is not a move away from rhythmic unease so much as a different way of using it: gaps, gradual builds, strings, and sudden shifts do more of the work.
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That looseness makes the follow-up less immediately forceful, but also lets the trio’s contrasting instincts coexist. Yorke’s suspended vocal lines, Greenwood’s unsettled guitar and arrangements, and Skinner’s active drumming don’t always resolve into a neat groove. The friction is part of the appeal.
Which tracks make the case for the album?
“Wall of Eyes” and “Teleharmonic” set the foggy mood
The title track opens with a slow, wintry bossa-nova feel. Monroe reads its lyrics as addressing digital surveillance and sedation; that is the critic’s interpretation, not a confirmed statement of Yorke’s intent. “Teleharmonic” carries the opening stretch forward with synths and a slow-building, emotionally adrift atmosphere.
Rank #2
“Read the Room” and “Under Our Pillows” bring the motion forward
After the hazier opening pair, “Read the Room” and “Under Our Pillows” make the guitar and motorik pulse more conspicuous. “Read the Room” also uses negative space effectively: the parts feel forceful partly because the arrangement leaves room around them.
“Friend of a Friend” turns warmth into a point of tension
“Friend of a Friend” is one of the album’s most inviting melodies, with a warm, lightly jazzy feel and a Beatles-inflected tune. Monroe connects its lyrics to pandemic-era balcony singing and the politics of money and privilege. The contrast between its accessible surface and that reading gives the song a sharper edge.
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“Bending Hectic” earns its dramatic release
“Bending Hectic” begins delicately and builds toward a heavy, cathartic climax, one of the clearest payoffs on the record. Monroe describes its narrative as a car-crash suicide ballad and reads the orchestral swell and distorted strings as part of that plunge. Whatever the listener makes of that interpretation, the song’s shift from restraint to impact shows how well the album’s patient pacing can work.
Where does the album fall short?
Its floating, slow-building approach asks the listener to wait for songs to gather shape. Most of the time, the space and uncertainty are compelling; at other points, they risk becoming inertia. Monroe’s chief reservation is “I Quit”: the track has an intoxicating mood, but, in the reviewer’s judgment, stops short of the revelation needed to make it fully land.
Rank #4
That weaker passage matters because Wall of Eyes depends on tension and payoff rather than a steady run of hooks. “Bending Hectic” supplies the release that “I Quit” withholds, while “Friend of a Friend” offers a different kind of satisfaction through melody and contrast.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Album details and recording
Wall of Eyes is The Smile’s second album, released January 26, 2024, through XL Recordings. Apple Music lists eight songs and a 45-minute duration. The tracklist is “Wall of Eyes,” “Teleharmonic,” “Read the Room,” “Under Our Pillows,” “Friend of a Friend,” “I Quit,” “Bending Hectic,” and “You Know Me!”
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According to Abbey Road Studios, the album was recorded between Oxford and Abbey Road’s Studio Two, produced and mixed by Sam Petts-Davies, and features string arrangements by the London Contemporary Orchestra. The studio also credits Oli Middleton as recording engineer, with Tom Ashpitel and Joe Wyatt assisting.
Is there a vinyl or CD edition?
XL Recordings’ official shop listing includes both a 1×LP vinyl edition and a CD edition. The listing establishes those formats, but not current stock or prices. It also provides no basis for claiming that one edition sounds better than another.
Wall of Eyes is best for listeners who enjoy art rock that lets atmosphere, rhythmic unease, and gradual escalation share the foreground. It is less consistent than its finest tracks, but its most ambitious moments justify the space it takes.
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