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Ed O’Brien shared his debut solo album Earth<\/a><\/em> in April of 2020 \u2014 not the best timing, it turned out. He released it under the moniker EOB, and today the Radiohead guitarist is announcing his sophomore effort Blue Morpho<\/em> under his full name. The title track is out now.<\/p>\n “Blue Morpho,” co-written with producer Paul Epworth, is bucolic and sprawling. It features Dave Okumu on guitars and bass, Crispin “Spry” Robinson on percussion, Nick Ramm on keyboards, the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra on strings (arranged by T\u00f5nu K\u00f5rvits), and Radiohead\u2019s Philip Selway on drums. Flutist Shabaka Hutchings, who released the new album Of The Earth<\/a><\/em> earlier this month, appears on the album as well.<\/p>\n The LP was recorded at O’Brien’s studio in Wales and the 200-year-old Church Studios in London. An accompanying short film called Blue Morpho: The Three Act Play<\/em> premiered at SXSW yesterday and will be released alongside the record.<\/p>\n Talking to Rolling Stone<\/a><\/em>, O\u2019Brien says he began working on Blue Morpho<\/em> during the early pandemic, a period he refers to as a \u201cmidlife crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI went into a deep depression. It was the first time in my life that I had to stop. And what I realized was that I\u2019d been keeping busy, like a lot of people do, running from these ghosts of my past, particularly from my childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n On some days he didn\u2019t want to get out of bed, he tells the magazine: \u201cI thought, \u2018Will this be with me forever?\u2019\u201d But he found concentrating on new music and connecting with nature to be therapeutic.<\/p>\n Late last year Radiohead played 20 shows in the EU\/UK, the band’s first concerts in seven years<\/a>. It was an emotional experience for O\u2019Brien (and Harry Styles<\/a>). He didn’t want to tour for the band’s 2016 album\u00a0A Moon-Shaped Pool<\/em> \u2014 \u201cI just didn\u2019t resonate with it anymore\u2026 we\u2019d run out of inspiration\u201d \u2014 but he\u2019s glad he did, he says. And his time off following that trek changed his perspective on remaining in the band. “I think we always knew that if we got the love between us right, then it all flows from there.\u201d<\/p>\n There won’t be any Radiohead shows in 2026, but they’re eyeing runs in North America, South America, and Asia\/Oceania for 2027. “Every year we\u2019re going to do a different continent, and we\u2019re going to do 20 shows each year,” he tells RS<\/em>. \u201cNo more, no less.\u201d<\/p>\n\n