Radiohead is releasing something special, but don't expect it to be a new album.
PolyFauna, a new app, was launched by the "King of Limbs" band in collaboration with music art/design studio Universal Anything.
The app is "an experimental collaboration between us (Radiohead) & Universal Everything, born out of 'The King of Limbs' sessions and using the imagery and the sounds from the song 'Bloom'. It comes from an interest in early computer life-experiments and the imagined creatures of our subconscious," Thom Yorke explained on their website, radiohead.com.
The band leader posted instructions in how to use the app: "Your screen is the window into an evolving world. Move around to look around. You can follow the red dot. You can wear headphones."
Matt Pyke, head of Universal Anything explained to NME how the Radiohead's app "PolyFauna" came about:
"I got an email from Thom Yorke a couple of years ago saying that he wanted to make an app that's more of an abstract audio-visual thing rather than a traditional band app. I knew their music really well and designed record covers for Warp artists (Aphex Twin, Plaid, Boards Of Canada) and made music videos. We met up with him and Stanley Donwood and started talking about creating this atmospheric world where it's not just a music video, it's an exploded view and echo-fragmented version of 'The King Of Limbs' session.
Pyke continued about how the app works: "Each time any person uses the world, they get a completely new journey through the environments and nature and sound too. There's lots of hidden bits to be discovered."
Though the new Radiohead app is keeping fans busy, they can't help but ask when the next album will be out. Colin Greenwood, Radiohead's guitarist, cleared the air that fans will have to wait a little longer.
Speaking to Drowned in Sound, Greenwood spoke candidly about the "High n' Dry" group's future:
"I wish I could say we were going to start work and put something out then spend 12 months on the road touring but we're just enjoying being at home right now. We had the best time when spent the last two years touring 'The King Of Limbs'. We all really enjoyed that. It was a really positive time. We definitely want to do it all again but we've just got to give it some time for the dust to settle. What I'm trying to say is everyone's very happy and positive and looking forward to the next adventure."
