Wikipedia

Friend of a Friend (The Smile song)

"Friend of a Friend" is a song by the English rock band the Smile, released on 9 January 2024 by XL Recordings. It was the third single released from the Smile's second album, Wall of Eyes. The music video was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

"Friend of a Friend"
Single by the Smile
from the album Wall of Eyes
Released9 January 2024
StudioAbbey Road Studios
Length4:35
LabelXL
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Sam Petts-Davies
The Smile singles chronology
"Wall of Eyes"
(2023) 		"Friend of a Friend"
(2024) 		"Don't Get Me Started" / "The Slip"
(2024)

The Smile wrote "Friend of a Friend" on tour and first performed it in 2022. It features piano, saxophone and strings. Critics likened it to the work of the Beatles and 1970s singer-songwriters.

Composition

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The Smile first performed "Friend of a Friend" on 16 May, 2022, in Zagreb, Croatia. The singer, Thom Yorke, said they had written it that day.[1]

"Friend of a Friend" has Yorke singing over a "meandering" bassline, before he is joined by Jonny Greenwood on piano and Tom Skinner on drums.[1] The song also features saxophone by the American jazz composer Robert Stillman and strings performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra.[2] The lyrics were inspired by footage of Italians singing on their balconies during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and criticise cronyism in the British Conservative Party.[3]

Exclaim! described "Friend of a Friend" as "more twisting and jazzy" than the Smile's other material.[1] In Stereogum, Chris DeVille said it was a "bit of a curveball where the Smile is concerned", describing it as "off-kilter 70s-style piano-pop",[4] and likened it to the work of Randy Newman or Ben Folds.[5] He likened the strings to "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles.[4] The Guardian chief music critic Alexis Petridis wrote that it was "almost McCartneyesque", with "the relaxed charm of an early 70s singer-songwriter album".[6] Writing for NME, Liberty Dunworth said it had an "ethereal atmosphere ... which gradually develops".[7]

Release

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"Friend of a Friend" was released on 9 January 2024 as the third single from the Smile's second album, Wall of Eyes.[4] The music video, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, has the Smile performing for a room of children.[8] It premiered on 19 January at the Prince Charles Cinema in London, as part of a series of screenings at independent cinemas around the world to promote Wall of Eyes.[9]

Reception

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Chris DeVille of Stereogum cited "Friend of a Friend" as one of their favourites on Wall of Eyes.[4] While the Wall Street Journal critic Mark Richardson felt that Wall of Eyes was "insular and closed off", he wrote that "Friend of a Friend" was a "welcome exception, a rare and lovely excursion for Mr. Yorke into classic singer-songwriter terrain".[10] Robin Murray of Clash said that "Friend of a Friend" showed the Smile at "their most direct – succinct (by their towering standards) it achieves a real sense of dynamism".[11] In Pitchfork, Jazz Monroe wrote that it was “divine, even hummable" and Yorke's "deftest lunge for your heartstrings" since the Radiohead song "True Love Waits".[3]

Personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Hudson, Alex (19 May 2022). "Watch the Smile Perform New Song "Friend of a Friend"". Exclaim!. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  2. ^ Sweeney, Eammon (18 January 2024). "The Smile: Wall of Eyes – Another classic from Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b Monroe, Jazz (25 January 2024). "The Smile: Wall of Eyes". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d DeVille, Chris (9 January 2024). "The Smile share new single 'Friend of a Friend': listen". Stereogum. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  5. ^ DeVille, Chris (1 January 2024). "Premature Evaluation: The Smile Wall Of Eyes". Stereogum. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  6. ^ Petridis, Alexis (18 January 2024). "The Smile: Wall of Eyes review – inventive Radiohead side project risks eclipsing the real thing". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  7. ^ Dunworth, Liberty (9 January 2024). "The Smile share stunning new single 'Friend of a Friend' and announce special Wall of Eyes cinema album playback events". NME. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  8. ^ Chelosky, Danielle (25 January 2024). "The Smile & Paul Thomas Anderson Share "Friend Of A Friend" Video: Watch". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  9. ^ Trendell, Andrew (19 January 2024). "The Smile dismiss The Beatles' influence and share advice for struggling creatives". NME. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  10. ^ Richardson, Mark (22 January 2024). "Wall of Eyes by the Smile review: a second-album spotlight". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  11. ^ Murray, Robin (9 January 2024). "The Smile Share Punchy New Song 'Friend Of A Friend'". Clash. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  12. ^ The Smile (2022). A Light for Attracting Attention (liner notes). London, England: XL Recordings. FXL1196LP.
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