By Chris Meyer
A project going since 2009, Thom Yorke’s Atoms for Peace finally released their first single; “Default” is part of a full album set to drop sometime in 2013. The group consists of Yorke (vocals, guitars, keys and programming), Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea (bass), Joey Waronker (drums), Mauro Refosco (percussion), and long-time Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich (production & programming); often considered the “sixth member” of Radiohead.
Yorke explains in a statement on the Radiohead’s official website, “You may have heard that I have a new project called Atoms for Peace. The name comes from some shows of The Eraser that happened a couple of years ago with Mauro, Joey, Nigel and Flea. We got a big buzz from them and discovered loads of energy from transforming the music from electronic to live, and so afterwards, we carried on for a few days in the studio and decided to make it a loose, on-going thing. Immersed in the area between the two… electronic and live. The first tune we’d like you hear is Default.”
The group made its debut in 2009 when it played Yorke’s solo album The Eraser in its entirety. They went on to play a string of shows in the States including an appearance at Coachella in 2010 and an additional performance at Fuji Rock later that year. Can we expect some shows in support of the album? Only time will tell. Keep your fingers crossed!
Check out “Default” here: