Radiohead's Ed O'Brien releases broody new single 'Olympik' after recovering from coronavirus-like symptoms
The Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien is a revered name in the music community, and millions of fans were exhaling sighs of relief this week on learning that he has now fully recovered from his suspected coronavirus symptoms. To make matters even better, O'Brien has now dropped a brand-new song, 'Olympik', which is the third single off his upcoming debut solo album, 'Earth'.
The album will be released under his EOB moniker on April 17, two weeks from now. So far, we've already had a chance to listen to the tracks 'Brasil', and 'Shangri-La' from the new record, while it is understood that the first single that he released as EOB, 'Santa Teresa' will not be a part of the upcoming 45-minute album.
Introducing the new track with a simple "Here's 'Olympik' good people..." this new eight-and-a-half-minute track comes courtesy of EOB's collaboration with the experienced drummer Omar Hakim, as well as The Invisible members Nathan East and Dave Okumu. The celebrated producer for the track, Flood, has worked with the likes of U2, PJ Harvey and Depeche Mode in the past, while Catherine Marks of Foals and The Killers fame was also on additional production duties.
Flood's influence can be heard throughout the sinuous, pulsating 'Olympik', and the dark soundscapes and textured vocals make it sound remarkable like a Depeche Mode meets U2 (circa 'Achtung Baby') meets 'The King of Limbs' kind of track. Also of interest are the lyrics, because the line "On this pale blue dot" was probably the reason behind EOB initially wanting to name his album 'Pale Blue Dot', inspired by the famous photograph of our planet as seen from space.
He later had to shelve that idea due to copyright restrictions and settled for the simplistic 'Earth' itself. Check out the new track 'Olympik' here - fans are raving about the guitars and bass on this one!
About a week ago, on March 23, Ed O’Brien revealed that he had been suffering from a flu-like condition that seemed remarkably similar to the COVID-19 infection that was sweeping the globe. Although he did not get himself tested, the British singer-songwriter suspected it was coronavirus and followed the necessary self-isolation quarantine protocol. Thankfully, he made a full recovery from his illness and posted a message on his Instagram five days ago, where he stated "Hello everybody. I just want to say I’m better. Thank you to everybody who sent such love and lovely messages. I’m really fine now. I had it for about two weeks. I didn’t get tested but I’m pretty certain it was [coronavirus], I had the symptoms."
He also paid tribute to the amazing health workers in Britain and the dedication of the NHS, before concluding "Stay safe, stay warm, and self-isolate."