For artists as legendary as Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood— of Radiohead, for those not in the know— it must be an incredibly daunting prospect to release new music so late into your career: for this duo in particular, the burden of living up to the immense legacies of ‘OK Computer,’ ‘Kid A,’ ‘In Rainbows’ and more must be crushing, even failing to mention their various side projects and solo releases. Still, the pair appear steadfast in their commitment to new project ‘The Smile’ with Tom Skinner, releasing a third project is as many years. New record ‘Cutouts’ isn’t their most ambitious or confident release, comprised of cuts left off of January’s ‘Wall Of Eyes,’ and it’s also a significantly less consistent record front-to-back than the group’s previous releases. Nonetheless, the LP brings a respectable amount of variety and enjoyable material, and may be Yorke and Greenwood’s most accessible release in years.

In a peculiar twist, ‘Cutouts’ begins on something of a false start, lulling the listener in with a pair of soft, soothing tracks before the record’s true colours are revealed. The opening ‘Foreign Spies’ is as glossy as they come, smothering you under waves of sickly sweet synths and electric pianos. Between these artificial sounds and Thom’s distant vocal delivery, it’s not too much of a stretch to assume that that ‘too good to be true’ feeling is intentional, complementing lyrics centring around a great sense of paranoia and dread at the state of the world. In practice, however, the track is a rather bland and featureless introduction to the album, dragging itself out for a minute too long. The following ‘Instant Psalm’ is certainly an improvement, exchanging the dull synths for wandering woodwinds, acoustic guitars and the ever-present sound of an orchestra tuning— as ever, The Smile are happy to indulge in some bizarre and left-field inclusions— though its sluggish tempo and underwhelming voice leading leaves it similarly unengaging. The track’s most impressive feature is its lyrics, describing some kind of failing relationship in an increasing abstract, disconnected fashion: overall, however, ‘Cutouts’ does a poor job immersing the listener in its opening tracks, setting the rest of the record up for failure.

It’s incredibly fortunate, then, that the record takes a dramatic upswing in quality at this point, revealing itself to be much more full-of-life than you might have been led to believe. ‘Cutouts’ is an incredibly groovy album, sporting some of the most upbeat and instantly gratifying guitar work that Jonny Greenwood has ever recorded and a variety of fun and energetic grooves to go along with it. Single ‘Zero Sum’ is characterised by its bizarre syncopated, chromatic lead parts, sitting alongside Skinner’s whimsical percussion and Thom’s cheeky vocals in a way that becomes surprisingly natural by the track’s end: if any song from The Smile could be described as ‘zany,’ this would be it, and the following cuts benefit from this newfound freedom of expression. ‘Eyes & Mouth’ follows a similar formula, pairing an electrifying guitar riff against a familiar Thom Yorke piano progression that slowly morphs into a sea of vocal layers, and the closing duo ‘No Words’ and ‘Bodies Laughing’ make for a funky, if insane, finale to the project.

Even the slower cuts are more interesting in this leg of the album. ‘Colours Fly’ is a more atmospheric track, drenching the vocals in an ocean of reverb and allowing a meandering, eastern-sounding guitar part and simple bass lines to do most of its heavy lifting, but it nonetheless has an infection drive that propels the record forward— Skinner’s drumming works miracles here. Conversely, ‘Tiptoe’ may be the slowest and moodiest point on the album, but its hauntingly beautiful piano licks and honest vocal performance give it a unique place, making it a welcome addition all the same. Yorke’s lyrics also get to take centre stage in these cuts, which are consistently abstract yet evocative: many tracks delve into a uniquely disconnected, antisocial view of the world, adding a sense of unease to even the most energetic of songs.

Don’t be under the assumption that ‘Cutouts’ is a flawless record after its opening, though: despite our praise, the tracklist is still decently spotty, flipping between wondrous highs and forgettable lows on a whim. ‘Don’t Get Me Started’ may feature the most forgettable riff on the album, plodding through its empty keyboard segments in a six-minute track that’ll bore you to tears: thankfully, some interesting hand percussion from Skinner saves this from being a total dud, even if the record would arguably flow better without its inclusion. Worst of all, however, is undoubtedly the aptly titled ‘The Slip,’ in which, it seems, The Smile set out to create the most jumbled and disjointed set of sounds they possibly can. The song’s electronic rhythms and discordant vocal melody seem interesting at first but quickly grow tiresome, whereas the garage rock guitar line is an instant miss, clashing with the rest of the arrangement so much that it must surely be some twisted joke. It’s lost on us, unfortunately, and the album undoubtedly suffers for its inclusion.

‘Cutouts’ is a more daring and extreme record than ‘Wall Of Eyes’ was earlier this year, showcasing The Smile throwing themselves into uncharted territory at every turn. Songs such as ‘Eyes & Mouth’ or ‘Bodies Laughing’ demonstrate that the group had a clear direction for the record, and these tracks are another fresh addition to the band’s discography. For every excellent hit, however, there’s an equally disappointing miss, making this an album with “inconsistent” for a middle name. There’s a lot to love here: it’s just a shame that, ironically, a fair few tracks shouldn’t have made the cut at all.