Editing Radiohead (section)

== History ==

=== 1985–1992: formation and first years ===
[[File:Abingdon School, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England-23April2011.jpg|thumb|[[Abingdon School]], where Radiohead formed]]
The members of Radiohead met while attending [[Abingdon School]], a [[Private schools in the United Kingdom|private]] school for boys in [[Abingdon-on-Thames|Abingdon, Oxfordshire]].<ref name="MCLEAN">{{cite news |last=McLean |first=Craig |title=Don't worry, be happy |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=14 July 2003 |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/dont-worry-be-happy-20030614-gdgxei.html|access-date=25 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001040219/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/dont-worry-be-happy-20030614-gdgxei.html|archive-date=1 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The guitarist and singer [[Thom Yorke]] and the bassist [[Colin Greenwood]] were in the same year; the guitarist [[Ed O'Brien]] was one year above, and the drummer [[Philip Selway]] was in the year above O'Brien.<ref name="AbingdonArchives">{{Cite web |title=Radiohead |url=https://archives.abingdon.org.uk/content/uncategorized/radiohead |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821213232/https://archives.abingdon.org.uk/content/uncategorized/radiohead |archive-date=21 August 2024 |access-date=21 August 2024 |website=Abingdon School Archives |language=en}}</ref> Colin's brother, the multi-instrumentalist [[Jonny Greenwood]], was three years below Colin and Yorke and the last to join.<ref name="AbingdonArchives" />

In 1985, the group formed On a Friday, the name referring to their usual rehearsal day in the school's music room.<ref name="guitar-world">{{cite journal |author=Randall |first=Mac |date=1 April 1998 |title=The Golden Age of Radiohead |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/radiohead-interview-golden-age-radiohead |journal=[[Guitar World]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903205835/http://www.guitarworld.com/radiohead-interview-golden-age-radiohead |archive-date=3 September 2017}}</ref> The band disliked the school's strict atmosphere—the headmaster once charged them for using a rehearsal room on a Sunday—and found solace in the music department. They credited their music teacher for introducing them to [[jazz]], [[film scores]], postwar [[avant-garde music]], and [[20th-century classical music]].<ref name="ROSS">{{cite news |last=Ross |first=Alex |author-link=Alex Ross |date=20 August 2001 |title=The Searchers |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/08/20/the-searchers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214053947/http://www.therestisnoise.com/2004/04/mahler_1.html |archive-date=14 February 2008 |access-date=16 March 2011 |newspaper=[[The New Yorker]]}}</ref>

[[File:Radiohead Curfew advert.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Advertisement placed in the Oxford music magazine ''[[Nightshift (magazine)|Curfew]]'' announcing On a Friday's change of name<ref>{{cite news |date=13 March 2016 |title=Radiohead, Foals and 25 years of discovering Oxford music |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-33176717|url-status=live|access-date=14 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314074533/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-33176717|archive-date=14 March 2016}}</ref>]]While each member contributed songs in the band's early period, Yorke emerged as the main songwriter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Randall |first=Mac |date=9 June 2023 |title=Philip Selway: Tidal Backstory |url=https://tidal.com/magazine/article/philip-selway-backstory/1-91629 |access-date=15 June 2023 |website=[[Tidal (service)|Tidal]]}}</ref> According to Colin, the band members picked their instruments because they wanted to play together, rather than through any particular interest: "It was more of a collective angle, and if you could contribute by having someone else play your instrument, then that was really cool."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2001/0915/01091500133.html |title=Taking Music To Strange Places |last=Kelly |first=John |date=15 September 2001 |newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=16 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012072827/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2001/0915/01091500133.html|archive-date=12 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> They played few gigs, and focused on rehearsing in village halls.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Jane |date=20 October 2024 |title=Colin Greenwood: 'I never let Jonny forget it was me that got him into Radiohead' |url=https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/colin-greenwood-interview-radiohead-jonny-music/ |access-date=20 October 2024 |website=[[The Big Issue]] |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Oxford]] had an active [[independent music]] scene in the late 1980s, but it centred on [[shoegazing]] bands such as [[Ride (band)|Ride]] and [[Slowdive]].<ref name="KENT">{{cite journal |last=Kent |first=Nick |author-link=Nick Kent |date=1 June 2001 |title=Happy now? |journal=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]}}</ref> On a Friday played their first gig in 1986 at Oxford's [[Jericho Tavern]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Lucy |date=23 January 2014 |title=Colin Greenwood Q&A on Radiohead's first gig, independent venues and what the band's up to now |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/colin-greenwood-qa-on-radioheads-first-gig-independent-venues-what-the-bands-up-to-now-774340 |access-date=1 February 2025 |website=[[NME]] |language=en-GB}}</ref>

On the strength of an early demo, On a Friday were offered a record deal by [[Island Records]], but they decided they were not ready and wanted to go to university first.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs – Ten things we learned from Thom Yorke's Desert Island Discs |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/b7zfNZjlKBK3r8s9t9ldhx/ten-things-we-learned-from-thom-yorkes-desert-island-discs |access-date=23 September 2019 |website=[[BBC]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> They continued to rehearse on weekends and holidays,<ref name="ROSS" /> but did not perform for four years.<ref name="guitar-world" /> At the [[University of Exeter]], Yorke played with the band Headless Chickens, performing songs including future Radiohead material.<ref>{{cite web |last=Minsker |first=Evan |date=13 July 2015 |title=Rare footage surfaces of Thom Yorke performing 'High and Dry' with pre-Radiohead band |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/60375-rare-footage-surfaces-of-thom-yorke-performing-high-and-dry-with-pre-radiohead-band/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715025618/http://pitchfork.com/news/60375-rare-footage-surfaces-of-thom-yorke-performing-high-and-dry-with-pre-radiohead-band/|archive-date=15 July 2015|access-date=16 July 2015 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> He also met [[Stanley Donwood]], who later became Radiohead's cover artist.<ref name="EYE">{{cite web |url=https://www.eyestorm.com/artists/profile/Stanley_Donwood.html |title=Stanley Donwood |publisher=Eyestorm|access-date=29 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516152202/http://www.eyestorm.com/artists/profile/Stanley_Donwood.html|archive-date=16 May 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1991, the band regrouped in Oxford, sharing a house on the corner of Magdalen Road and Ridgefield Road.<ref name="Fricke-2012">{{cite magazine |last=Fricke |first=David |author-link=David Fricke |date=26 April 2012 |title=Radiohead reconnect |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/radiohead-reconnect-20120426 |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317233858/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/radiohead-reconnect-20120426 |archive-date=17 March 2016 |access-date=15 March 2016}}</ref> They recorded another demo, which attracted the attention of Chris Hufford, Slowdive's producer and the co-owner of Oxford's Courtyard Studios.<ref name="Doyle-2008">{{Cite journal |last=Doyle |first=Tom |date=April 2008 |title=The complete Radiohead |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |publisher=[[Bauer Media Group]] |volume=261 |pages=65–69 |issn=0955-4955}}</ref> Hufford and his business partner, Bryce Edge, attended a concert at the Jericho Tavern; impressed, they became On a Friday's managers.<ref name="Doyle-2008" /> According to Hufford, at this point the band had "all of the elements of Radiohead", but with a rougher, punkier sound and faster tempos.<ref name="Gilbert-1996">{{Cite journal |last=Gilbert |first=Pat |date=November 1996 |title=Radiohead |journal=[[Record Collector]]}}</ref> At Courtyard Studios, On a Friday recorded the ''Manic Hedgehog'' demo tape, named after an Oxford record shop.<ref name="Gilbert-1996" />

In late 1991, Colin happened to meet the [[EMI]] [[A&R]] representative Keith Wozencroft at a record shop and handed him a copy of the demo.<ref name="Doyle-2008" /> Wozencroft was impressed and attended a performance.<ref name="Doyle-2008" /> That November, On a Friday performed at the Jericho Tavern to an audience that included several A&R representatives. It was only their eighth gig, but they had attracted interest from several record companies.<ref name="Doyle-2008" /> On 21 December, On a Friday signed a six-album recording contract with EMI.<ref name="ROSS" /><ref name="Doyle-2008" /> At EMI's request, they changed their name; "Radiohead" was taken from the song "Radio Head" on the [[Talking Heads]] album ''[[True Stories (Talking Heads album)|True Stories]]'' (1986).<ref name="ROSS" /> Yorke said the name "sums up all these things about receiving stuff ... It's about the way you take information in, the way you respond to the environment you're put in."<ref name="Doyle-2008" />

=== 1992–1994: "Creep", ''Pablo Honey'' and early success ===
Radiohead recorded their debut EP, ''[[Drill (EP)|Drill]]'', with Hufford and Edge at Courtyard Studios. Released in May 1992, its chart performance was poor.<ref name="guitar-world" /> As it was difficult for [[major labels]] such as EMI to promote bands in the UK, where [[Independent record label|independent labels]] dominated the [[indie charts]], Radiohead's managers planned to have Radiohead use American producers and tour aggressively in America, then return to build a following in the UK.<ref name="popisdead-1" /> [[Paul Q. Kolderie|Paul Kolderie]] and [[Sean Slade]], who had worked with the US bands [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]] and [[Dinosaur Jr.]], were enlisted to produce Radiohead's debut album, ''[[Pablo Honey]],'' recorded quickly in Oxford in 1992.<ref name="guitar-world" /> With the release of their debut single, "[[Creep (Radiohead song)|Creep]]", that September, Radiohead began to receive attention in the British music press, not all of it favourable; ''[[NME]]'' described them as "a lily-livered excuse for a rock band",<ref name="FREQUENCY">{{cite news |title=Radiohead: The right frequency |date=22 February 2001 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1182725.stm |newspaper=BBC News|access-date=24 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728142710/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1182725.stm|archive-date=28 July 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> and "Creep" was blacklisted by [[BBC Radio 1]] as "too depressing".<ref>{{cite news |title=Creepshow |newspaper=[[Melody Maker]] |date=19 December 1992}}</ref>

{{Listen
| filename    = Radiohead - Creep (sample).ogg
| title="Creep"
| description="[[Creep (Radiohead song)|Creep]]", Radiohead's debut single, was released in 1993. This sample features Jonny Greenwood's [[guitar distortion]] before the chorus.
}}
''Pablo Honey'' was released in February 1993. It reached number 22 in the UK charts. "Creep" and its follow-up singles "Anyone Can Play Guitar" and "[[Stop Whispering]]" failed to become hits, and "[[Pop Is Dead]]", a non-album single, also sold poorly. O'Brien later called it "a hideous mistake".<ref name="popisdead-1">{{cite book |author=Randall |first=Mac |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GU9QmQEpLoYC&q=%22Pop+Is+Dead%22+radiohead&pg=PT112 |title=Exit Music – The Radiohead Story |publisher=[[Omnibus Press]] |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85712-695-5}}</ref> Some critics compared Radiohead to the wave of [[grunge]] music popular in the early 1990s, dubbing them "[[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]-lite",<ref name="SMITH">{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Andrew |date=1 October 2000 |title=Sound and Fury |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/life/story/0,6903,375564,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031226112721/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/life/story/0%2C6903%2C375564%2C00.html |archive-date=26 December 2003 |access-date=17 March 2007 |newspaper=[[The Observer]] |location=London}}</ref> and ''Pablo Honey'' initially failed to make a critical or a commercial impact.<ref name="FREQUENCY" /> The members of Radiohead expressed dissatisfaction with the album in later years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Klein |first=Joshua |date=26 February 2007 |title=Various artists: ''Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller'' Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9911-jonny-greenwood-is-the-controller/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310040933/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9911-jonny-greenwood-is-the-controller/ |archive-date=10 March 2021 |access-date=23 June 2016 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref>

In early 1993, Radiohead began to attract listeners elsewhere. "Creep" had become a hit in Israel after it was played frequently by the influential DJ [[Yoav Kutner]], and, in March, Radiohead were invited to [[Tel Aviv]] for their first show overseas.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rubinstein |first=Harry |title=The Radiohead&nbsp;— Israel connection |newspaper=israelity.com |url=http://israelity.com/2009/01/20/the-radiohead-israel-connection/ |date=20 January 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515111700/http://israelity.com/2009/01/20/the-radiohead-israel-connection/|archive-date=15 May 2009}}</ref> Around the same time, "Creep" became a hit in America, a "[[slacker]] anthem" in the vein of "[[Smells Like Teen Spirit]]" by [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] and "[[Loser (Beck song)|Loser]]" by [[Beck]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Marzorati |first=Gerald |date=1 October 2000 |title=The post-rock band |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/01/magazine/the-post-rock-band.html |access-date=28 July 2008 |work=[[The New York Times]] |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> It reached number two on the ''Billboard'' [[Alternative Airplay|Modern Rock chart]],<ref name="ROSS" /> number 34 on the ''Billboard'' [[Hot 100]] chart,<ref name="Irvin-1997">{{cite journal |last1=Irvin |first1=Jim|author-link=Jim Irvin |last2=Hoskyns |first2=Barney |date=July 1997 |title=We have lift-off! |journal=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |issue=45}}</ref> and number seven on the [[UK singles chart]] when EMI rereleased it in September.<ref name="BILL" /> To build on the success, Radiohead embarked on a US tour supporting [[Belly (band)|Belly]] and [[PJ Harvey]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nichols |first=Natalie |date=Fall 1993 |title=Creeping into the Limelight |journal=Fender Frontline |publisher=The Phelps Group |volume=11}}</ref> followed by a European tour supporting [[James (band)|James]] and [[Tears for Fears]].<ref name="Irvin-1997" /><ref name="Gilbert-1996" />

=== 1994–1995: ''The Bends'', critical recognition and growing fanbase ===

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| caption2          = ''The Bends'' marked Radiohead's first collaboration with the producer [[Nigel Godrich]] (top) and the artist [[Stanley Donwood]], both of whom have worked on every Radiohead album since.
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Radiohead began work on their second album in 1994 with the veteran [[Abbey Road Studios]] producer [[John Leckie]]. Tensions were high, with mounting expectations to match the success of "Creep".<ref>{{cite journal |first=Johnny |last=Black |title=The Greatest Songs Ever! Fake Plastic Trees |date=1 June 2003 |journal=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=824|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070409000921/http://blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=824|archive-date=9 April 2007|access-date=15 April 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> To break a deadlock, Radiohead toured Asia, Australasia and Mexico and found greater confidence performing their new music live.<ref>{{cite book |last=Randall |first=Mac |title=Exit Music: The Radiohead Story |date=12 September 2000 |publisher=Delta |isbn=0-385-33393-5 |pages=127–134}}</ref> However, troubled by his new fame, Yorke became disillusioned with being "at the sharp end of the sexy, sassy, MTV eye-candy lifestyle" he felt he was helping to sell to the world.<ref name="REYNOLDS">{{cite web |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |date=July 2001 |title=Walking on thin ice |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/radiohead-walking-on-thin-ice |url-access=subscription |access-date=10 March 2024 |work=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]}}</ref>

The ''[[My Iron Lung]]'' EP and single, released in 1994, was Radiohead's reaction, marking a transition towards the greater depth they aimed for on their second album.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Mallins |first=Steve |date=1 April 1995 |title=Scuba Do |journal=[[Vox (magazine)|Vox]]}}</ref> It was Radiohead's first collaboration with their future producer, [[Nigel Godrich]], then working under Leckie as an [[audio engineer]],<ref name="McKinnon-2006">{{cite news |last=McKinnon |first=Matthew |date=24 July 2006 |title=Everything in its right place |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/everything-in-its-right-place-1.587693 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170935/http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/everything-in-its-right-place-1.587693 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=12 April 2016 |website=[[CBC Arts]]}}</ref> and the artist [[Stanley Donwood]]. Both have worked on every Radiohead album since.<ref name="EYE" /> Though sales of ''My Iron Lung'' were low, it boosted Radiohead's credibility in alternative circles, creating commercial opportunity for their next album.<ref>{{cite book |last=Randall |first=Mac |title=Exit Music: The Radiohead Story |date=12 September 2000 |pages=98–99 |isbn=0-385-33393-5 |publisher=Delta}}</ref>

Having introduced more new songs on tour, Radiohead finished recording their second album, ''[[The Bends (album)|The Bends]]'', by 1995, and released it that March. It was driven by dense riffs and ethereal atmospheres, with greater use of keyboards.<ref name="guitar-world" /> It received stronger reviews for its songwriting and performances.<ref name="FREQUENCY" /> While Radiohead were seen as outsiders to the [[Britpop]] scene that dominated music media at the time, they were finally successful in the UK,<ref name="KENT" /> as the singles "[[Fake Plastic Trees]]", "[[High and Dry]]", "[[Just (song)|Just]]", and "[[Street Spirit (Fade Out)]]" became chart successes. "High and Dry" became a modest hit, but Radiohead's growing fanbase was insufficient to repeat the worldwide success of "Creep". ''The Bends'' reached number 88 on the US album charts, and remains Radiohead's lowest showing there.<ref name="art-rock" /> Jonny Greenwood later said ''The Bends'' was turning point for Radiohead: "It started appearing in people's [best-of] polls for the end of the year. That's when it started to feel like we made the right choice about being a band."<ref name="LAUNCH">{{cite journal |last=DiMartino |first=Dave |title=Give Radiohead to Your Computer |journal=[[Yahoo! Music|LAUNCH]] |date=2 May 1997}}</ref> In later years, ''The Bends'' appeared in many publications' lists of the best albums of all time,<ref>{{citation |title=Beatles, Radiohead albums voted best ever |date=4 September 2000 |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/04/britain.albums/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080522120621/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/04/britain.albums/ |work=CNN.com|access-date=8 October 2008|archive-date=22 May 2008}}<br />{{cite journal |date=February 1998 |title=Q Readers All Time Top 100 Albums |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=137}}<br />{{cite web |url=http://www.listsofbests.com/list/13644-q-readers-best-albums-ever-2006-readers-poll |title=Q Magazine's Q Readers Best Albums Ever (2006 Readers Poll) Archived by Lists of Bests |work=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|access-date=15 March 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231034303/http://www.listsofbests.com/list/13644-q-readers-best-albums-ever-2006-readers-poll|archive-date=31 December 2013}}</ref> including ''[[Rolling Stone]]'s'' 2012 edition of the [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|"500 Greatest Albums of All Time"]] at No. 111.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/radiohead-the-bends-20120524 |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=18 July 2016 |date=31 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717125207/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/radiohead-the-bends-20120524|archive-date=17 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1995, Radiohead again toured North America and Europe, this time in support of [[R.E.M.]], one of their formative influences and at the time one of the biggest rock bands in the world.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.westnet.com/consumable/1995/May08.1995/revradio.html |title=Radiohead's Phil Selway |last=Harding |first=Nigel |newspaper=consumable.com|access-date=28 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810101504/http://www.westnet.com/consumable/1995/May08.1995/revradio.html|archive-date=10 August 2007|url-status=dead |year=1995}}</ref> Attention from famous fans such as the R.E.M. singer [[Michael Stipe]], along with distinctive music videos for "Just" and "Street Spirit", helped sustain Radiohead's popularity outside the UK.<ref>Randall, p. 127</ref> The night before a performance in Denver, Colorado, Radiohead's tour van was stolen, and with it their musical equipment. Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed a stripped-down acoustic set with rented instruments and several shows were cancelled.<ref name="StolenEquipment">{{Cite news |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2015/02/23/radioheads-jonny-greenwood-reunited-guitar-stolen-in-denver-in-1995/ |title=Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood reunited with guitar stolen in Denver in 1995 |date=23 February 2015 |work=[[The Denver Post]]|access-date=11 January 2019 |language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923200713/https://www.denverpost.com/2015/02/23/radioheads-jonny-greenwood-reunited-guitar-stolen-in-denver-in-1995/|archive-date=23 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Greenwood was reunited with one of the stolen guitars in 2015 after a fan recognised it as one they had purchased in Denver in the 1990s.<ref name="StolenEquipment" />}} Their first live video, ''[[Live at the Astoria]]'', was released in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Skinner |first=Tom |date=27 May 2020 |title=Radiohead to stream classic ''Live at the Astoria'' show in full |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/radiohead-to-stream-classic-live-at-the-astoria-show-in-full-2677066|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606082132/https://www.nme.com/news/music/radiohead-to-stream-classic-live-at-the-astoria-show-in-full-2677066|archive-date=6 June 2020|access-date=2 June 2020 |website=[[NME]] |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== 1995–1998: ''OK Computer'' and acclaim ===
[[File:Thom Yorke 1998.jpg|alt=|thumb|190x190px|Yorke performing with Radiohead in 1998]]
By late 1995, Radiohead had already recorded one song that would appear on their next record. "[[Lucky (Radiohead song)|Lucky]]", released as a single to promote the [[War Child (charity)|War Child]] charity's ''[[The Help Album]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Courtney |first=Kevin |title=Radiohead calling |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=17 May 1997 |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/1997/0517/97051700184.html|access-date=24 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726215059/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/1997/0517/97051700184.html|archive-date=26 July 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> was recorded in a brief session with Nigel Godrich, the young audio engineer who had assisted on ''The Bends''. Radiohead decided to self-produce their next album with Godrich, and began work in early 1996. By July they had recorded four songs at their rehearsal studio, Canned Applause, a converted apple shed in the countryside near [[Didcot]], Oxfordshire.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Adrian |last=Glover |title=Radiohead&nbsp;— Getting More Respect |date=1 August 1997 |journal=[[Circus (magazine)|Circus]]}}</ref> In August 1996, Radiohead toured as the opening act for [[Alanis Morissette]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Moran |first=Caitlin|author-link=Caitlin Moran |date=July 1997 |title=Everything was just fear. |journal=[[Select (magazine)|Select]] |page=84}}</ref> They resumed recording not at a studio but at [[St. Catherine's Court]], a 15th-century mansion near [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/0,27693,OK_Computer,00.html |title=The All-Time 100 albums |magazine=Time |date=13 November 2006|access-date=11 March 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070307093434/http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/0,27693,OK_Computer,00.html|archive-date=7 March 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> The sessions were relaxed, with the band playing at all hours of the day, recording in different rooms, and listening to [[the Beatles]], [[DJ Shadow]], [[Ennio Morricone]] and [[Miles Davis]] for inspiration.<ref name="guitar-world" /><ref name="LAUNCH" />''
[[File:Radiohead Matters.ogg|thumb|right|[[Colin Greenwood]], [[Jonny Greenwood]], [[Ed O'Brien]], and [[Phil Selway]] discussing ''[[OK Computer]]'' in 1997]]
Radiohead released their third album, ''[[OK Computer]]'', in May 1997. It found the band experimenting with song structures and incorporating [[ambient music|ambient]], [[avant-garde]] and [[electronic music|electronic]] influences, prompting ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' to call the album a "stunning art-rock tour de force".<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Mark Kemp |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/ok-computer-19970710 |title=OK Computer &#124; Album Reviews |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=10 July 1997|access-date=26 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117031912/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/ok-computer-19970710|archive-date=17 January 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Radiohead denied being part of the [[progressive rock]] genre, but critics began to compare their work to [[Pink Floyd]]. Some compared ''OK Computer'' thematically to the 1973 Pink Floyd album ''[[The Dark Side of the Moon]]'',<ref>{{Harvnb|Reising|2005|pp=208–211}}<br />{{Harvnb|Griffiths|2004|p=109}}<br />{{Harvnb|Buckley|2003|p=843}}</ref> although Yorke said the lyrics were inspired by observing the "speed" of the world in the 1990s. Yorke's lyrics, embodying different characters, had expressed what one magazine called "end-of-the-millennium blues"<ref>{{cite journal |title=Subterranean Aliens |date=1 September 1997 |journal=Request Magazine}}</ref> in contrast to the more personal songs of ''The Bends''. According to the journalist [[Alex Ross (music critic)|Alex Ross]], Radiohead had become "the poster boys for a certain kind of knowing alienation" as Talking Heads and R.E.M. had been before.<ref name="ROSS" /> ''OK Computer'' received acclaim. Yorke said he was "amazed it got the reaction it did. None of us fucking knew any more whether it was good or bad. What really blew my head off was the fact that people got all the things, all the textures and the sounds and the atmospheres we were trying to create."<ref>{{cite journal |title=Renaissance Men |journal=[[Select (magazine)|Select]] |date=December 1997}}</ref>

{{Listen
 |filename = Paranoid Android.ogg
 |title="Paranoid Android"
 |pos = right
 |description="[[Paranoid Android]]" is a three-part song, mixing acoustic guitars, abrasive electric solos and layered choirs. The first single from ''[[OK Computer]]'', it marks Radiohead's [[UK Singles Chart]] peak (number three).}}
''OK Computer'' was Radiohead's first number-one UK chart debut, and brought them commercial success around the world. Despite peaking at number 21 in the [[Billboard 200|US charts]], the album eventually met with mainstream recognition there, earning Radiohead their first [[Grammy Awards]] recognition, winning [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Album]] and a nomination for [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amug.org/~scrnsrc/grammys_98.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981201040406/http://www.amug.org/~scrnsrc/grammys_98.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 December 1998 |title=Screen Source presents: The 40th Annual Grammy Awards|access-date=20 November 2007 |date=27 February 1998 |work=Screen Source |publisher=amug.com}}</ref> "[[Paranoid Android]]", "[[Karma Police]]" and "[[No Surprises]]" were released as singles, of which "Karma Police" was most successful internationally.<ref name="BILL">{{cite magazine |url={{BillboardURLbyName |artist=radiohead |chart=all}}|title=Radiohead: Artist Chart History|magazine=Billboard|access-date=9 November 2007}}</ref> ''OK Computer'' went on to become a staple of "best-of" British album lists.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3HSuhm6DRGgC&pg=PA28 |title=Radiohead and the Resistant Concept Album: How to Disappear Completely |last=Letts |first=Marianne Tatom |date=2010 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-253-00491-8 |page=28|access-date=14 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217094343/https://books.google.com/books?id=3HSuhm6DRGgC&pg=PA28|archive-date=17 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/8219786/Radioheads-OK-Computer-named-best-album-of-the-past-25-years.html |title=Radiohead's OK Computer named best album of the past 25 years |date=22 December 2010 |work=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=4 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201214751/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/8219786/Radioheads-OK-Computer-named-best-album-of-the-past-25-years.html|archive-date=1 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In the same year, Radiohead became one of the first bands in the world to have a website, and developed a devoted online following; within a few years, there were dozens of [[fansite]]s devoted to them.<ref name="Curious Case">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/9890-internet-explorers-the-curious-case-of-radioheads-online-fandom/ |title=Internet Explorers: The Curious Case of Radiohead's Online Fandom |last=Jeremy |first=Gordon |date=12 May 2016 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512175336/http://pitchfork.com/features/article/9890-internet-explorers-the-curious-case-of-radioheads-online-fandom/|archive-date=12 May 2016|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref>

''OK Computer'' was followed by the year-long Against Demons world tour, including Radiohead's first headline [[Glastonbury Festival]] performance in 1997.<ref name="Glastonbury 2017">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/20/radiohead-glastonbury-2017-festival-headliners-confirmed-pyramid-stage-worthy-farm |title=Radiohead are confirmed as first headliners for Glastonbury 2017 |last=Hann |first=Michael |date=20 October 2016 |newspaper=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077|access-date=20 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021012906/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/20/radiohead-glastonbury-2017-festival-headliners-confirmed-pyramid-stage-worthy-farm|archive-date=21 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite technical problems that almost caused Yorke to abandon the stage, the performance was acclaimed and cemented Radiohead as a major live act.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/radioheads-glastonbury-1997-set-like-form-according-guitarist/ |title=Radiohead's Glastonbury 1997 set was 'like a form of hell', according to guitarist Ed O'Brien |last=White |first=Adam |date=23 June 2017 |work=The Telegraph|access-date=24 June 2017 |language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623230959/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/radioheads-glastonbury-1997-set-like-form-according-guitarist/|archive-date=23 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Grant Gee]], the director of the "No Surprises" video, filmed the band on tour for the 1999 documentary ''[[Meeting People Is Easy]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/177943/Meeting-People-is-Easy/overview |title=Meeting People is Easy (1999)|access-date=20 November 2007 |last=Deming |first=Mark|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116202225/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/177943/Meeting-People-is-Easy/overview|archive-date=16 January 2008 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> The film portrays the band's disaffection with the music industry and press, showing their [[Occupational burnout|burnout]] over the course of the tour.<ref name="guitar-world" /> Since its release, ''OK Computer'' is often acclaimed as a landmark record of the 1990s<ref>Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "[https://www.allmusic.com/album/ok-computer-mw0000024289 OK Computer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121081725/https://www.allmusic.com/album/ok-computer-mw0000024289|date=21 November 2018}}" AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2012</ref> and the [[Generation X]] era, and one of the greatest albums in recording history.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rose |first=Phil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8UCIDwAAQBAJ&q=radiohead+generation+x+ok+computer&pg=PR20 |title=Radiohead: Music for a Global Future |date=22 April 2019 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-7930-8 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Q Magazine: The 100 Greatest British Albums of All Time – How many do you own? (Either on CD, Vinyl, Tape or Download) |url=https://www.listchallenges.com/q-magazine-the-100-greatest-british-albums-of-all|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219052103/https://www.listchallenges.com/q-magazine-the-100-greatest-british-albums-of-all|archive-date=19 February 2020|access-date=19 February 2020 |work=List Challenges}}</ref>

In 1998, Radiohead performed at a Paris [[Amnesty International]] concert<ref>{{cite web |title=Art for Amnesty |url=http://www.artforamnesty.org/view_artist.php?id=32 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030120709/http://www.artforamnesty.org/view_artist.php?id=32 |archive-date=30 October 2007 |access-date=22 December 2007}}</ref> and the [[Tibetan Freedom Concert]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Greene |first1=Andy |date=17 March 2015 |title=Flashback: Michael Stipe Fronts Radiohead at Tibet Concert |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/flashback-michael-stipe-fronts-radiohead-at-tibetan-freedom-concert-192978/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603100749/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/flashback-michael-stipe-fronts-radiohead-at-tibetan-freedom-concert-192978/ |archive-date=3 June 2019 |access-date=3 June 2019}}</ref> In March, they and Godrich entered [[Abbey Road Studios]] to record a song for the 1998 film ''[[The Avengers (1998 film)|The Avengers]]'', "[[Man of War (song)|Man of War]]", but were unsatisfied with the results and it went unreleased.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mejia |first=Paula |title=The Secret History of Radiohead's OK Computer |language=en |work=Vulture |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/06/the-secret-history-of-radioheads-ok-computer.html |url-status=live |access-date=14 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214073547/http://www.vulture.com/2017/06/the-secret-history-of-radioheads-ok-computer.html |archive-date=14 February 2018}}</ref> Yorke described the period as a "real low point";<ref>{{Cite web |title=Radiohead's 'Man of War': Everything You Need to Know About the 'OK Computer' Bonus Tracks |url=http://diffuser.fm/radiohead-man-of-war/ |access-date=29 July 2017 |website=Diffuser.fm |date=3 May 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref> he and O'Brien developed depression,<ref>{{cite web |last=McLean |first=Craig |date=6 February 2020 |title=Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien steps up |url=https://theface.com/music/radiohead-guitarist-ed-obrien-album-shangri-la-interview-thom-yorke |access-date=8 February 2020 |website=[[The Face (magazine)|The Face]] |language=en-gb}}</ref> and the band came close to splitting up.<ref name="ECCLES">{{cite journal |last1=Cavanagh |first1=David |last2=Eccleston |first2=Danny |date=1 October 2000 |title=I Can See The Monsters |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=169}}</ref>

=== 1998–2001: ''Kid A'', ''Amnesiac'' and change in sound ===
[[File:Jonny Greenwood Synth (Amsterdam).jpg|thumb|Jonny Greenwood has used a variety of instruments, such as this [[glockenspiel]], in live concerts and recordings.]]
[[File:Radiohead's Kid A Matters.ogg|thumb|right|[[Phil Selway]] discussing ''[[Kid A]]'' in 2000]]
After the success of ''OK Computer'', Radiohead bought a barn in Oxfordshire and converted it into a recording studio.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rogers |first=Jude |author-link=Jude Rogers |date=29 September 2024 |title='It commemorates collective moments': Radiohead through the eyes of Colin Greenwood |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/sep/29/radiohead-colin-greenwood-photography-how-to-disappear#comments |access-date=29 September 2024 |work=[[The Observer]] |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref> They began work on their next album with Godrich in early 1999, working in studios in Paris, Copenhagen, and [[Gloucester]] before their new studio was completed.<ref name="SMITH" /> Although their success meant there was no longer pressure from their record label,<ref name="ROSS" /> tensions were high. The members had different visions for Radiohead's future, and Yorke suffered from [[writer's block]], influencing him toward more abstract, fragmented songwriting.<ref name="ECCLES" /> O'Brien kept an online diary of their progress.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/517864/radiohead-guitarists-online-diary-gives-glimpse-of-new-lp/ |title=Radiohead Guitarist's Online Diary Gives Glimpse Of New LP |website=MTV News|access-date=26 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726215727/http://www.mtv.com/news/517864/radiohead-guitarists-online-diary-gives-glimpse-of-new-lp/|archive-date=26 July 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> After nearly 18 months, recording was completed in April 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Chris |date=20 April 2000 |title=Radiohead complete recording for ''OK Computer'' follow-up |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/821233/radiohead-complete-recording-for-ok-computer-follow-up/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004102055/https://www.mtv.com/news/821233/radiohead-complete-recording-for-ok-computer-follow-up/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 October 2021 |access-date=4 October 2021 |website=[[MTV News]] |language=en}}</ref>

Radiohead's fourth album, ''[[Kid A]]'', was released in October 2000. A departure from ''OK Computer'', ''Kid A'' featured a [[minimalism|minimalist]] and textured style with more diverse instrumentation, including the [[ondes Martenot]], programmed [[electronic music|electronic]] beats, [[string orchestra|strings]], and jazz horns.<ref name="ECCLES" /> It debuted at number one in many countries, including the US, where it became the first Radiohead album to debut atop the ''[[Billboard 200|Billboard]]'' chart and the first US number-one album by any UK act since the [[Spice Girls]] in 1996.<ref name="BBCKIDAAMN">{{cite news |date=14 June 2001 |title=US Success for Radiohead |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1389135.stm |url-status=live |access-date=22 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313150734/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1389135.stm |archive-date=13 March 2007}}</ref> This success was attributed variously to marketing, to the album's leak on the file-sharing network [[Napster]] a few months before its release, and to advance anticipation based, in part, on the success of ''OK Computer''.<ref>{{cite news |title=CD Soars After Net Release: Radiohead's 'Kid A' premieres in No.&nbsp;1 slot |last=Evangelista |first=Benny|access-date=17 March 2007 |date=12 October 2000 |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/10/12/BU108599.DTL&type=tech_article|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718100907/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/10/12/BU108599.DTL&type=tech_article|archive-date=18 July 2011|url-status=live}}<br />{{cite news |last=Menta |first=Richard |title=Did Napster Take Radiohead's New Album to Number 1? |newspaper=[[MP3 Newswire]] |date=28 October 2000}}<br />{{cite news |last=Oldham |first=James |title=Radiohead&nbsp;— Their Stupendous Return |newspaper=NME |date=24 June 2000}}</ref> Although Radiohead released no singles from ''Kid A'', [[Promotional recording|promos]] of "[[Optimistic (Radiohead song)|Optimistic]]" and "[[Idioteque]]" received radio play, and a series of "blips", short videos set to portions of tracks, were played on music channels and released free online.<ref name="ZORIC">{{cite news |last=Zoric |first=Lauren |date=22 September 2000 |title=I think I'm meant to be dead |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/friday_review/story/0,,371289,00.html |access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref> Radiohead continued a 2000 tour of Europe in a custom-built tent free of advertising; they also promoted ''Kid A'' with three sold-out North American theatre concerts.<ref name="ZORIC" />

{{Listen
 | filename=Everything In Its Right Place.ogg
 | title="Everything in Its Right Place"
 | description=The opening track from Radiohead's fourth album, this song emphasises the band's increasing use of [[electronic music]] and distortions of Thom Yorke's vocals.
}}

''Kid A'' received a [[Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Album]] and a nomination for [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] in early 2001. It won both praise and criticism in [[independent music]] circles for appropriating [[underground music|underground]] styles of music; some British critics saw ''Kid A'' as a "commercial suicide note" and "intentionally difficult", and longed for a return to Radiohead's earlier style.<ref name="KENT" /><ref name="FREQUENCY" /> Fans were similarly divided; along with those who were appalled or mystified, many saw it as the band's best work.<ref name="REYNOLDS" /><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/radiohead/kida |title=Kid A by Radiohead|access-date=20 May 2007 |journal=[[Metacritic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609160948/http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/radiohead/kida|archive-date=9 June 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> Yorke denied that Radiohead had set out to eschew expectations, saying: "We're not trying to be difficult&nbsp;... We're actually trying to communicate but somewhere along the line, we just seemed to piss off a lot of people&nbsp;... What we're doing isn't that radical."<ref name="KENT" /> The album was ranked one of the best of all time by publications including [[Time (magazine)|''Time'']] and ''Rolling Stone;''<ref>{{cite magazine |date=13 November 2006 |title=The all-time 100 albums |url=http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/index.html |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424141858/http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/index.html |archive-date=24 April 2011 |access-date=3 March 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=22 September 2020 |title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US |access-date=23 September 2020}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'', ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' and the ''[[The Times|Times]]'' named it the best album of the decade.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=18 July 2011 |title=100 Best Albums of the 2000s |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-best-albums-of-the-2000s-153375/radiohead-kid-a-3-158987/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=13 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2 October 2009 |title=The top 200 albums of the 2000s: 20–1 – page 2 |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/7710-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-20-1/?page=2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314045640/http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/7710-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-20-1/?page=2 |archive-date=14 March 2016 |access-date=2 September 2016 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-100-best-pop-albums-of-the-noughties-s7bmg6sr90g |title=The 100 best pop albums of the Noughties |date=21 November 2009 |newspaper=[[The Times]]|access-date=15 January 2025}}</ref>

Radiohead's fifth album, ''[[Amnesiac (album)|Amnesiac]]'', was released in May 2001. It comprised additional tracks from the ''Kid A'' sessions, including "Life in a Glasshouse", featuring the [[The Humphrey Lyttelton Band|Humphrey Lyttelton Band]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clue/interviews/humph_transcript2.shtml |title=The chairman – Humphrey Lyttelton |date=31 January 2001 |publisher=BBC|access-date=1 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414233610/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clue/interviews/humph_transcript2.shtml|archive-date=14 April 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> Radiohead stressed that they saw ''Amnesiac'' not as a collection of B-sides or outtakes from ''Kid A'' but an album in its own right.<ref>{{cite interview |last1=Greenwood |first1=Colin|subject-link1=Colin Greenwood |last2=O'Brien |first2=Ed|subject-link2=Ed O'Brien |interviewer=Chris Douridas |title=Interview with Ed & Colin |work=Ground Zero |publisher=[[KCRW]] |date=25 January 2001}}</ref> It topped the [[UK Albums Chart]] and reached number two in the US, and was nominated for a Grammy Award and the [[Mercury Music Prize]].<ref name="FREQUENCY" /><ref name="BBCKIDAAMN" /> Radiohead released "[[Pyramid Song]]" and "[[Knives Out (song)|Knives Out]]" as singles, their first since 1998.<ref>{{cite web |author=Kessler, Ted |date=12 September 2005 |title=Radiohead: Pyramid Song: This is our favourite Radiohead single in recent memory&nbsp;... |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/5064 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017154745/http://www.nme.com/reviews/5064 |archive-date=17 October 2007 |access-date=22 April 2007 |website=[[NME]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Merryweather |first=David |date=24 July 2021 |title=Single Review: Radiohead – Knives Out |url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/5182/reviews/1723- |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508033751/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/5182/reviews/1723- |archive-date=8 May 2019 |access-date=10 August 2018 |work=[[Drowned in Sound]]}}</ref> Radiohead began a North American tour, their first there in three years, in June 2001.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Pakvis |first=Peter |date=21 June 2001 |title=Radiohead take ''Amnesiac'' on tour |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/radiohead-take-amnesiac-on-tour-20010621 |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517021226/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/radiohead-take-amnesiac-on-tour-20010621 |archive-date=17 May 2014 |access-date=27 July 2014}}</ref> With a string of sold-out dates, ''[[The Observer]]'' described it as "the most sweeping conquest of America by a British group" since [[Beatlemania]], succeeding where bands such as [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] had failed.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 August 2001 |title=How Radiohead took America by stealth |language=en-GB |work=[[The Observer]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/aug/19/uk.theobserver |access-date=16 July 2023 |issn=0029-7712}}</ref> Recordings from the ''Kid A'' and ''Amnesiac'' tours were released on ''[[I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings]]'' in November 2001.<ref>{{cite web |last=LeMay |first=Matt |date=17 December 2001 |title=Radiohead: ''I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings EP'' |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/6657-i-might-be-wrong-live-recordings-ep/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610001809/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/6657-i-might-be-wrong-live-recordings-ep/|archive-date=10 June 2016|access-date=11 June 2016 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref>

=== 2002–2006: ''Hail to the Thief'' and solo work ===
{{Listen
 | filename=Radiohead - 2 + 2 = 5 (sample).ogg
 | title="2 + 2 = 5"
 | description=An up-tempo, guitar-driven album opener, "[[2 + 2 = 5 (song)|2 + 2 = 5]]" heralded Radiohead's return to a more straightforward [[alternative rock]] style that still included electronic elements.
}}

In July and August 2002, Radiohead toured Portugal and Spain, playing a number of new songs. For their next album, they sought to explore the tension between human and machine-generated music<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bitter-prophet-thom-yorke-on-hail-to-the-thief-20030626 |title=Bitter Prophet: Thom Yorke on 'Hail to the Thief' |last=Fricke |first=David |date=27 June 2003 |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=15 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318111404/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bitter-prophet-thom-yorke-on-hail-to-the-thief-20030626|archive-date=18 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> and capture a more immediate, live sound.<ref>{{cite interview |title=Radiohead Hail to the Thief – Interview CD |year=2003}} Promotional interview CD sent to British music press.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |date=5 October 2002 |title=Exclusive: Thom on new Radiohead album |journal=NME}}</ref> They and Godrich recorded most of the material in two weeks at [[Ocean Way Recording]] in Los Angeles. The band described the recording process as relaxed, in contrast to the tense sessions for ''Kid A'' and ''Amnesiac''.<ref name="MCLEAN" /> Radiohead also composed music for "Split Sides", a dance piece by the [[Merce Cunningham Dance Company]], which debuted in October 2003 at the [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |date= |title=Radiohead Dances With Sigur Ros |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/71349/radiohead-dances-with-sigur-ros |url-status=live |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015020048/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/71349/radiohead-dances-with-sigur-ros |archive-date=15 October 2018 |access-date=14 October 2018}}</ref>

Radiohead's sixth album, ''[[Hail to the Thief]]'', was released in June 2003.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/radiohead/hailtothethief?q=hail%20to%20the%20thief |title=Radiohead: Hail to the Thief (2003): Reviews|access-date=17 March 2007 |journal=[[Metacritic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234534/http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/radiohead/hailtothethief?q=hail%20to%20the%20thief|archive-date=26 September 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> Its lyrics were influenced by what Yorke called "the general sense of ignorance and intolerance and panic and stupidity" following the 2000 election of US President [[George W. Bush]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.xfm.co.uk/article.asp?id=3561 |title=Recording 'Hail to the Thief' in Los Angeles |newspaper=Radio X |publisher=[[Xfm London]]|access-date=22 February 2012}}</ref> The album was promoted with a website, radiohead.tv, where short films, music videos, and studio webcasts were streamed.<ref name="radioheadtv">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2977526.stm |title=Radiohead TV goes on air |date=10 June 2003 |work=[[BBC]]|access-date=6 November 2012}}</ref> ''Hail to the Thief'' debuted at number one in the UK and number three on the ''Billboard'' chart, and was eventually certified [[British Phonographic Industry#Certifications|platinum]] in the UK and [[RIAA certification|gold]] in the US. The singles "[[There There (song)|There There]]", "[[Go to Sleep]]" and "[[2 + 2 = 5 (song)|2 + 2 = 5]]" achieved heavy circulation on [[modern rock]] radio. At the [[2004 Grammy Awards]], Radiohead were again nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Album]], and Godrich and the engineer Darrell Thorp received the [[Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical|Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2004/grammys.htm |title=46th Annual Grammy Awards |access-date=14 September 2019 |date=8 February 2004 |journal=Rock on the Net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218081526/http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2004/grammys.htm |archive-date=18 February 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2003, Radiohead launched radiohead.tv, where they streamed short films, music videos and live webcasts from their studio.<ref name="radioheadtv" /> The material was released on the 2004 DVD ''[[The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Modell |first=Josh |date=27 December 2004 |title=Radiohead: ''The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth Of All Time'' |url=https://www.avclub.com/radiohead-the-most-gigantic-lying-mouth-of-all-time-1798200283 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420080129/https://music.avclub.com/radiohead-the-most-gigantic-lying-mouth-of-all-time-1798200283 |archive-date=20 April 2019 |access-date=20 April 2019 |website=[[AV Club]] |language=en-US}}</ref> A compilation of ''Hail to the Thief'' B-sides, remixes and live performances, ''[[Com Lag (2plus2isfive)]]'', was released in April 2004.<ref>{{Citation |title=Radiohead – Com Lag (2Plus2IsFive) |work=[[Allmusic]] |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/com-lag-2plus2isfive-mw0000582738 |access-date=3 April 2023 |language=en}}</ref>  In May 2003, Radiohead embarked on a world tour and headlined Glastonbury Festival for the second time. The tour finished in May 2004 with a performance at the [[Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival#2004|Coachella Festival]] in California.<ref name="Sweet Malaise">{{Cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |date=2 July 2006 |title=With Radiohead, and Alone, the Sweet Malaise of Thom Yorke |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/arts/music/02pare.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017210558/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/arts/music/02pare.html |archive-date=17 October 2015 |access-date=16 October 2015 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[File:Radiohead Coachella 2004 cropped.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Radiohead at the 2004 [[Coachella Music Festival]]]]
''Hail to the Thief'' was Radiohead's final album with EMI; in 2006, ''The New York Times'' described Radiohead as "by far the world's most popular unsigned band".<ref name="Sweet Malaise" /> Following the ''Hail to the Thief'' tour, Radiohead went on hiatus to spend time with their families and work on solo projects. Yorke and Jonny Greenwood contributed to the [[Band Aid 20]] charity single "[[Do They Know It's Christmas?]]", produced by Godrich.<ref>{{cite web |last=Godrich |first=Nigel |date=29 November 2009 |title=Flashback: making Band Aid 20 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/01/last-waltz-dylan-the-band |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035729/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/01/last-waltz-dylan-the-band |archive-date=1 December 2017 |access-date=2 May 2015 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Greenwood composed soundtracks for the films ''[[Bodysong (album)|Bodysong]]'' (2004) and ''[[There Will Be Blood (album)|There Will Be Blood]]'' (2007); the latter was the first of several collaborations with the director [[Paul Thomas Anderson]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Everett-Green |first=Robert |date=14 June 2006 |title=Radiohead retooled |website=[[The Globe and Mail]] |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/radiohead-retooled/article711010/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103235729/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/radiohead-retooled/article711010/ |archive-date=3 January 2015}}</ref><ref name="HERE">{{cite web |url=https://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/index.php?a=65 |title=Here we go |last=O'Brien |first=Ed |date=21 August 2005 |work=Dead Air Space |publisher=Radiohead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051031112530/http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/index.php?a=65|archive-date=31 October 2005|url-status=dead|access-date=23 December 2007}}</ref> In July 2006, Yorke released his debut solo album, ''[[The Eraser]]'', comprising mainly electronic music.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jun-28-et-yorke28-story.html |title=Thom Yorke, free agent |last=Powers |first=Ann |date=28 June 2006 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=3 May 2015 |language=en |issn=0458-3035|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518091319/http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jun/28/entertainment/et-yorke28|archive-date=18 May 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> He stressed it was made with the band's blessing, and that Radiohead were not breaking up. Jonny Greenwood said: "He had to get this stuff out, and everyone was happy [for Yorke to make it] ... He'd go mad if every time he wrote a song it had to go through the Radiohead consensus."<ref>{{cite news |last=Paytress |first=Mark |date=February 2008 |title=CHASING RAIN_BOWS |pages=75–85 |work=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]}}</ref> Selway and Jonny Greenwood appeared in the 2005 film ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'' as members of the fictional band [[List of supporting Harry Potter characters|the Weird Sisters]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Young |first=Alex |date=18 November 2010 |title=Break Yo' TV: Harry Potter's The Weird Sisters – 'Do The Hippogriff' |url=https://consequence.net/2010/11/break-yo-tv-harry-potters-the-weird-sisters-do-the-hippogriff/ |access-date=29 May 2023 |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== 2006–2009: departure from EMI, ''In Rainbows'', and "pay what you want" ===

Radiohead began work on their seventh album in February 2005.<ref name="HERE" /> Instead of involving Godrich, Radiohead hired the producer [[Spike Stent]], but the collaboration was unsuccessful.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Vozick-Levinson |first1=Simon |date=27 April 2012 |title=The Making of Radiohead's ''In Rainbows'' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-making-of-radioheads-in-rainbows-187534/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730031338/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-making-of-radioheads-in-rainbows-187534/ |archive-date=30 July 2019 |access-date=30 July 2019}}</ref> In September 2005, Radiohead contributed "I Want None of This", a piano [[dirge]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/2097-help-a-day-in-the-life/ |title=Various Artists: Help: A Day in the Life Album Review {{!}} Pitchfork|last=Plagenhoef|first=Scott|date=11 September 2005|website=Pitchfork|language=en|access-date=13 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109180938/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/2097-help-a-day-in-the-life/|archive-date=9 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> for the [[War Child (charity)|War Child]] charity album ''[[Help!: A Day in the Life|Help: A Day in the Life]]''. The album was sold online, with "I Want None of This" the most downloaded track, though it was not released as a single.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4238542.stm |title=Rush to download War Child album |date=12 September 2005|access-date=19 October 2007 |newspaper=BBC News}}</ref> In late 2006, after touring Europe and North America with new material, Radiohead re-enlisted Godrich and resumed work in London, Oxford and rural [[Somerset]], England.<ref>{{cite news |title=Radiohead: Exclusive Interview |last=Marshall |first=Julian |date=2 October 2007 |newspaper=NME}}</ref> Recording ended in June 2007 and the recordings were mastered the following month.<ref>{{cite news |date=16 July 2007 |title=Radiohead mastering seventh album in New York |newspaper=[[NME]] |url=https://www.nme.com//news/radiohead/29715 |url-status=live |access-date=19 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414123718/http://www.nme.com/news/radiohead/29715 |archive-date=14 April 2016}}</ref>

In 2007, EMI was acquired by the [[private equity]] firm [[Terra Firma Capital Partners|Terra Firma]]. Radiohead were critical of the new management, and no new deal was agreed.<ref name="observer12">{{cite news |author=McLean, Craig |date=9 December 2007 |title=Caught in the flash |work=[[The Observer]] |location=London |url=http://music.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,,2222276,00.html|url-status=live|access-date=1 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220030505/http://music.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,,2222276,00.html|archive-date=20 February 2008}}</ref> The [[The Independent|''Independent'']] reported that EMI had offered Radiohead a £3 million advance, but had refused to relinquish rights to the band's back catalogue. An EMI spokesman stated that Radiohead had demanded "an extraordinary amount of money".<ref name="Rajan-2007">{{Cite news |last=Rajan |first=Amol |date=29 December 2007 |title=EMI split blamed on Radiohead's £10m advance demands |language=en-GB |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/emi-split-blamed-on-radioheads-pound10m-advance-demands-767248.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616141638/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/emi-split-blamed-on-radioheads-pound10m-advance-demands-767248.html |archive-date=16 June 2018}}</ref> Radiohead's management and Yorke released statements denying that they had asked for a large advance, but had instead wanted control over their back catalogue.<ref name="Rajan-2007" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |title='Nude' Radiohead Video Hits Web, EMI Airs Dirty Laundry |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nude-radiohead-video-hits-web-thom-yorke-responds-to-emis-airing-of-dirty-laundry-20080102|url-status=live|access-date=16 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616130306/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nude-radiohead-video-hits-web-thom-yorke-responds-to-emis-airing-of-dirty-laundry-20080102|archive-date=16 June 2018}}</ref>

Radiohead self-released their seventh album, ''[[In Rainbows]]'', on their website on 10 October 2007 as a [[Music download|download]], for any amount users wanted, including £0. The landmark [[pay-what-you-want]] release, the first for a major act, made headlines worldwide and created debate about the implications for the music industry.<ref name="nytimespay">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/arts/music/09pare.html?ex=1354856400&en=ec2f1c29937292be&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all |title=Pay What You Want for This Article|access-date=30 December 2007 |author=Pareles, Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles |date=9 December 2007 |work=The New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212152701/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/arts/music/09pare.html?ei=5090&en=ec2f1c29937292be&ex=1354856400&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all|archive-date=12 December 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> Media reaction was positive, and Radiohead were praised for finding new ways to connect with fans.<ref>{{cite news |author=Paytress, Mark |title=Chasing Rainbows |date=1 January 2008 |work=Mojo}}</ref><ref name="Tyrangiel, Josh">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1666973,00.html |title=Radiohead Says: Pay What You Want |author=Tyrangiel, Josh |date=1 October 2007 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=16 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827171043/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1666973,00.html|archive-date=27 August 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, it drew criticism from musicians such as [[Lily Allen]] and [[Kim Gordon]], who felt it undercut less successful acts.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=14 November 2007 |title=Lily Allen, Oasis, Gene Simmons Criticize Radiohead's 'Rainbows' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lily-allen-oasis-gene-simmons-backlash-against-radioheads-rainbows-20071114 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425211901/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lily-allen-oasis-gene-simmons-backlash-against-radioheads-rainbows-20071114 |archive-date=25 April 2014 |access-date=14 March 2014 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Thill |first=Scott |date=8 July 2009 |title=Sonic Youth Slams Radiohead's In Rainbows Model |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/06/sonic-youth-slams-radioheads-in-rainbows-model/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005152018/https://www.wired.com/2009/06/sonic-youth-slams-radioheads-in-rainbows-model/ |archive-date=5 October 2017 |access-date=4 June 2017 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]}}</ref>

''In Rainbows'' was downloaded an estimated 1.2&nbsp;million times on the day of release.<ref name="tour">{{cite magazine |last=Brandle |first=Lars |title=Radiohead Returning to the Road in 2008 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard.com]] |date=18 October 2007 |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1047969/radiohead-returning-to-the-road-in-2008|access-date=21 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208234628/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1047969/radiohead-returning-to-the-road-in-2008|archive-date=8 February 2008}}</ref> Colin Greenwood explained the internet release as a way of avoiding the "regulated playlists" and "straitened formats" of radio and TV, ensuring fans around the world could experience the music at the same time, and preventing leaks in advance of a physical release.<ref>[[Colin Greenwood|Greenwood, Colin]] (13 September 2010), "[http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/09/radiohead-copyright-freespeech-music/ Set Yourself Free] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105045102/https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/09/radiohead-copyright-freespeech-music/|date=5 November 2015}}", Index on Censorship. Retrieved 31 October 2010</ref> A special "discbox" edition of ''In Rainbows'', containing the record on vinyl, a book of artwork, and a CD of extra songs, was also sold from Radiohead's website.<ref name="INRAINBOWSYHOO">{{cite news |last=Grossberg |first=Josh |title=Fans Shortchanging Radiohead's Rainbows? |newspaper=[[E! Online]] |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/56660/fans-shortchanging-radiohead-s-rainbows |date=6 November 2007|access-date=23 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629211729/https://www.eonline.com/news/56660/fans-shortchanging-radiohead-s-rainbows|archive-date=29 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The retail version of ''In Rainbows'' was released in the UK in late December 2007 on [[XL Recordings]] and in North America in January 2008 on [[TBD Records]],<ref name="INRAINBOWSYHOO" /> reaching number one in the UK and in the US.<ref>{{cite news |last=Griffiths |first=Peter |title=Radiohead top album chart |work=Reuters |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL063195120080106 |date=6 January 2008|access-date=7 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503032551/http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL063195120080106|archive-date=3 May 2009|url-status=dead}}<br />{{cite news |last=Cohen |first=Jonathan |title=Radiohead Nudges Blige From Atop Album Chart |newspaper=Billboard |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1046867/radiohead-nudges-blige-from-atop-album-chart |date=9 January 2008|access-date=9 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212015339/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1046867/radiohead-nudges-blige-from-atop-album-chart|archive-date=12 February 2008}}</ref> The success was Radiohead's highest chart placement in the US since ''Kid A''. It became their fifth UK number-one album and sold more than three million copies in one year.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/radiohead/inrainbows |title=Radiohead: In Rainbows (2007): Reviews|access-date=6 November 2007 |journal=[[Metacritic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107114044/http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/radiohead/inrainbows|archive-date=7 November 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> The album received acclaim for its more accessible sound and personal lyrics.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |title=Radiohead Publishers Reveal "In Rainbows" Numbers |newspaper=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=15 October 2008 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/10/15/radiohead-publishers-reveal-in-rainbows-numbers/|access-date=7 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081018150410/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/10/15/radiohead-publishers-reveal-in-rainbows-numbers/|archive-date=18 October 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was nominated for the [[Mercury Music Prize]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.idiomag.com/peek/35718/radiohead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090102090138/http://www.idiomag.com/peek/35718/radiohead |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 January 2009 |title=Radiohead News – 2008 Mercury Music Prize Nominees Announced|access-date=12 September 2008 |date=24 July 2008 |publisher=Idiomag.com}}</ref> and won the [[2009 Grammy Awards|2009 Grammy awards]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Music Album]] and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. It was nominated for five other Grammy awards, including Radiohead's third nomination for [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Grammy Awards 2009: British artists dominate Los Angeles ceremony |first=Caroline |last=Hedley |date=9 February 2009|access-date=11 February 2009 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/4566240/Grammy-Awards-2009-British-artists-dominate-Los-Angeles-ceremony.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212102103/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/4566240/Grammy-Awards-2009-British-artists-dominate-Los-Angeles-ceremony.html|archive-date=12 February 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed "[[15 Step]]" with the [[Spirit of Troy|University of Southern California Marching Band]] at the televised award show.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Amrit |date=9 September 2009 |title=The 2009 Grammys: Just The Good Parts |work=[[Stereogum]] |url=https://www.stereogum.com/51301/the_2009_grammys_just_the_good_parts/video/ |url-status=live |access-date=19 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927050317/https://www.stereogum.com/51301/the_2009_grammys_just_the_good_parts/video/ |archive-date=27 September 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Radiohead France 2008.jpg|thumb|Radiohead performing at the 2008 Main Square Festival in Arras, France]]
The first single from ''In Rainbows'', "[[Jigsaw Falling into Place]]", was released in January 2008,<ref>{{cite news |title=Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' to be released on CD this year |date=8 November 2007 |newspaper=NME |url=https://www.nme.com//news/radiohead/32393|access-date=19 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121025651/http://www.nme.com/news/radiohead/32393|archive-date=21 November 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> followed by "[[Nude (song)|Nude]]" in March,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.nme.com//news/radiohead/35076 |title=Radiohead announce new single details |date=12 March 2008 |magazine=[[NME]]|access-date=12 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080314012342/http://www.nme.com/news/radiohead/35076|archive-date=14 March 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> which debuted at number 37 in the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]; it was Radiohead's first song to enter the chart since "High and Dry" (1995) and their first US top 40 since "Creep".<ref name="BILL" /> In July, Radiohead released a digitally shot video for "[[House of Cards (Radiohead song)|House of Cards]]".<ref>{{cite news |last=Dodson |first=Sean |date=17 July 2008 |title=Is Radiohead the latest band to go open source? |work=The Guardian |location=UK |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2008/jul/17/opensource.google|url-status=live|access-date=27 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209210809/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2008/jul/17/opensource.google|archive-date=9 February 2015}}</ref> Radiohead held [[remix]] competitions for "Nude" and "[[Reckoner]]", releasing the separated [[Stem (audio)|stems]] for fans to remix.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2008/09/radiohead-launc-2/ |title=Radiohead Launches Easier, Less Expensive Remix Contest |magazine=WIRED|access-date=20 October 2018 |language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020182052/https://www.wired.com/2008/09/radiohead-launc-2/|archive-date=20 October 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2008, Radiohead launched Waste Central, a [[social networking service]] for Radiohead fans.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hannaford |first=Katherine |date=7 April 2008 |title=Radiohead launches social networking site for gossip about Thom's hair, Waste-Central |url=http://www.techdigest.tv/2008/04/theyve_already.html |access-date=18 February 2015 |website=[[Tech Digest]] |publisher=}}</ref> In May, [[VH1]] broadcast ''[[In Rainbows – From the Basement]]'', a special episode of the music television show ''[[From the Basement]]'' in which Radiohead performed songs from ''In Rainbows''. It was released on [[iTunes]] in June.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2 July 2008 |title=Radiohead Rake in Praise From Bono, Release 'From the Basement' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/06/24/radiohead-rake-in-praise-from-bono-release-from-the-basement/ |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702173304/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/06/24/radiohead-rake-in-praise-from-bono-release-from-the-basement/ |archive-date=2 July 2008 |access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref> From mid-2008 to early 2009, Radiohead toured North America, Europe, Japan and South America to promote ''In Rainbows'', and headlined the [[Reading and Leeds Festivals]] in August 2009.<ref name="tour" /><ref>{{cite web |date=30 March 2009 |title=Reading and Leeds 2009 line-up |url=https://www.nme.com//news/readingleeds-festival/43738 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209184737/http://www.nme.com/news/readingleeds-festival/43738 |archive-date=9 February 2015 |access-date=28 September 2014 |work=[[NME]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=1069354 |title=Radiohead, por primera vez en Buenos Aires |date=13 November 2008 |newspaper=La Nación|access-date=14 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309194147/http://www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=1069354|archive-date=9 March 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>

Days after Radiohead signed to XL, EMI announced a [[Radiohead Box Set|box set of Radiohead material]] recorded before ''In Rainbows'', released in the same week as the ''In Rainbows'' special edition. Commentators including the ''Guardian'' saw the move as retaliation for the band choosing not to re-sign with EMI.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/nov/08/emi.musicindustry |title=EMI stab Radiohead in the back catalogue |last=Nestruck |first=Kelly |date=8 November 2007 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en|access-date=17 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117193325/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/nov/08/emi.musicindustry|archive-date=17 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2008, EMI released a [[greatest hits]] album, ''[[Radiohead: The Best Of]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Radiohead to release 'Best Of' compilation |url=https://www.nme.com//news/radiohead/35609 |work=NME |location=UK |date=3 April 2008|access-date=3 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404000759/http://www.nme.com/news/radiohead/35609|archive-date=4 April 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> It was made without Radiohead's involvement and contains only songs recorded under their contract with EMI. Yorke was critical of the release, calling it a "wasted opportunity".<ref>{{cite web |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |date=9 May 2008 |title=Yorke slams Radiohead ''Best Of'' LP |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a95605/yorke-slams-radiohead-best-of-lp.html?rss |access-date=27 September 2008 |work=[[Digital Spy]]}}</ref> As [[social media]] expanded around the turn of the decade, Radiohead gradually withdrew their public presence, with no promotional interviews or tours to promote new releases. ''Pitchfork'' wrote that around this time Radiohead's "popularity became increasingly untethered from the typical formalities of record promotion, placing them on the same level as [[Beyoncé]] and [[Kanye West]]".<ref name="Curious Case" />

=== 2009–2010: reissues, singles and side projects ===
In 2009, EMI reissued the albums recorded while Radiohead was signed to them in a series of expanded "Collector's Editions", without Radiohead's involvement.<ref name="DOMBAL reissue">{{citation |last=Dombal |first=Ryan |title=Radiohead's First Three Albums Reissued and Expanded |date=14 January 2009 |magazine=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/34391-radioheads-first-three-albums-reissued-and-expanded/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317215443/http://pitchfork.com/news/34391-radioheads-first-three-albums-reissued-and-expanded/ |archive-date=17 March 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> Press reaction expressed concern that EMI was exploiting Radiohead's back catalogue.<ref>{{citation |last=Fitzmaurice |first=Larry |title=Radiohead's First Three Albums Reissued with Extras |date=15 January 2009 |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |url=https://www.spin.com/2009/01/radioheads-first-three-albums-reissued-extras/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122214440/http://spin.com/articles/radioheads-first-three-albums-reissued-extras |archive-date=22 January 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="DOMBAL reissue" /><ref>{{citation |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |title=Radiohead's First Three Albums Reissued with Extras |date=15 January 2009 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/radioheads-first-three-albums-return-as-reissues-march-24th-20090115 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110803002824/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/radioheads-first-three-albums-return-as-reissues-march-24th-20090115 |archive-date=3 August 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In May, Radiohead began new recording sessions with Godrich.<ref>{{cite web |author=Lindsay, Andrew |title=Radiohead begin recording new album |date=18 May 2009 |url=http://stereokill.net/2009/05/18/radiohead-begin-recording-new-album/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703112006/http://stereokill.net/2009/05/18/radiohead-begin-recording-new-album/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 July 2009 |publisher=Stereokill.net|access-date=18 May 2009}}</ref> In August, they released "[[Harry Patch (In Memory Of)]]", a tribute song to [[Harry Patch]], the last surviving British soldier to have fought in [[World War I]], with proceeds donated to the [[British Legion]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/?a=495 |title=Harry Patch (In Memory Of) |publisher=Radiohead.com|access-date=5 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828044117/http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/?a=495|archive-date=28 August 2009|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/06/radiohead-song-harry-patch |title=Radiohead's farewell to old first world war soldier in song |last=Harris |first=John |date=6 August 2009 |work=The Guardian |location=UK|access-date=6 August 2009|archive-url=https://archive.today/20181116063022/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/06/radiohead-song-harry-patch|archive-date=16 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The song has no conventional rock instrumentation, and instead comprises Yorke's vocals and a string arrangement composed by Jonny Greenwood.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/lucyjones/100002153/radioheads-tribute-to-harry-patch-strikes-the-right-note/ |title=Radiohead's tribute to Harry Patch strikes the right note |last=Jones |first=Lucy |date=6 August 2009 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=18 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325015934/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/lucyjones/100002153/radioheads-tribute-to-harry-patch-strikes-the-right-note/|archive-date=25 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Later that month, another new song, "[[These Are My Twisted Words]]", featuring [[krautrock]]-like drumming and guitars,<ref name="RS">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/new-radiohead-song-these-are-my-twisted-words-leaks-20090813 |title=New Radiohead Song "These Are My Twisted Words" Leaks |author=Daniel Kreps |date=13 August 2009 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=21 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203012053/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/new-radiohead-song-these-are-my-twisted-words-leaks-20090813|archive-date=3 February 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> was leaked via [[torrent file|torrent]], possibly by Radiohead.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/14/new-radiohead-song |title=Was the new Radiohead song leaked by the band? |author=Sean Michaels |date=14 August 2009 |newspaper=[[The Guardian|guardian.co.uk]]|access-date=21 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005073720/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/14/new-radiohead-song|archive-date=5 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="RS" /> It was released as a free download on the Radiohead website the following week.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/index.php?a=497 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090819035635/http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/index.php?a=497 |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 August 2009 |title=These Are My Twisted Words |author=Jonny Greenwood |date=17 August 2009 |publisher=Dead Air Space (radiohead.com)|access-date=21 August 2009|author-link = Jonny Greenwood}}</ref> Commentators saw the releases as part of Radiohead's new unpredictable release strategy, without the need for traditional marketing.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://thequietus.com/articles/02447-radiohead-versus-the-release-schedule |title=Radiohead Versus The Release Schedule |last=Wallace |first=Wyndham |date=11 August 2009 |magazine=[[The Quietus]]|access-date=19 July 2011}}</ref>

In 2009, Yorke formed a new band, [[Atoms for Peace (band)|Atoms for Peace]], to perform his solo material, with musicians including Godrich and the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]] bassist [[Flea (musician)|Flea]]. They played eight North American shows in 2010.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/alternate-take/q-a-thom-yorke-on-atoms-for-peaces-mechanistic-new-album-20121105 |title=Q&A: Thom Yorke on Atoms for Peace's 'Mechanistic' New Album |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=5 November 2012|access-date=18 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627192707/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/alternate-take/q-a-thom-yorke-on-atoms-for-peaces-mechanistic-new-album-20121105|archive-date=27 June 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> In January 2010, Radiohead played their only full concert of the year in the Los Angeles [[Henry Fonda Theater]] as a benefit for [[Oxfam]]. Tickets were auctioned, raising over half a million US dollars for the NGO's [[2010 Haiti earthquake]] relief.<ref>{{cite news |title=Musicians for Oxfam: Radiohead, will.i.am, and more |publisher=oxfamamerica.org |date=8 February 2010 |access-date=7 January 2011 |url=http://blogs.oxfamamerica.org/index.php/2010/02/08/musicians-for-oxfam-radiohead-will-i-am-and-more/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100217100643/http://blogs.oxfamamerica.org/index.php/2010/02/08/musicians-for-oxfam-radiohead-will-i-am-and-more/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 February 2010 |last=Kramer |first=Anna}}</ref> That December, a fan-made video of the performance, ''[[Radiohead for Haiti]]'', was released via YouTube and torrent with Radiohead's support and a "pay-what-you-want" link to donate to Oxfam.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/12/radiohead-for-haiti-full-video-from-fonda.html |title=Video: View the full Radiohead for Haiti benefit concert online, compiled from fan footage |last=Roberts |first=Randall |date=28 December 2010 |work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=7 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312081244/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/12/radiohead-for-haiti-full-video-from-fonda.html|archive-date=12 March 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Radiohead also released the [[soundboard recording]] of their 2009 Prague performance for use in a [[fan-made]] concert video, ''Live in Praha''.<ref>{{cite web |date=2 September 2010 |title=Radiohead-Approved, Fan-Shot Concert Movie Released |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/39935-radiohead-approved-fan-shot-concert-movie-released/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905001657/http://pitchfork.com/news/39935-radiohead-approved-fan-shot-concert-movie-released/ |archive-date=5 September 2010 |access-date=4 September 2010 |publisher=Pitchfork.com}}</ref> The videos were described as examples of Radiohead's openness to fans and positivity toward non-commercial internet distribution.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/sep/01/radiohead-fan-made-live-film |title=Radiohead lend their music to fan-made live DVD |last=Michaels |first=Sean |date=1 September 2010 |work=The Guardian|access-date=4 September 2010 |location=UK|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508100726/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/sep/01/radiohead-fan-made-live-film|archive-date=8 May 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com//news/radiohead/52847 |title=Radiohead help fans 'bootleg' their own gig |date=3 September 2010 |work=NME |location=UK|access-date=4 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905052813/http://www.nme.com/news/radiohead/52847|archive-date=5 September 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 2010, Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed a surprise set at [[Glastonbury Festival]], performing ''Eraser'' and Radiohead songs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/39283-thom-yorke-and-jonny-greenwood-play-surprise-glastonbury-set/ |title=Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood Play Surprise Glastonbury Set |date=25 June 2010|access-date=3 January 2015 |website=Pitchfork |last=Fitzmaurice |first=Larry|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103211724/http://pitchfork.com/news/39283-thom-yorke-and-jonny-greenwood-play-surprise-glastonbury-set/|archive-date=3 January 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Selway released his debut solo album, ''[[Familial (album)|Familial]]'', in August.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fox |first=Killian |date=28 August 2010 |title=Philip Selway: ''Familial'' |language=en-GB |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/aug/29/philip-selway-familial-album-review |url-status=live |access-date=28 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408203827/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/aug/29/philip-selway-familial-album-review |archive-date=8 April 2016 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> ''Pitchfork'' described it as a collection of "hushed" folk songs in the tradition of [[Nick Drake]], with Selway on guitar and vocals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dombal |first=Ryan |date=26 July 2010 |title=Radiohead's Selway talks new solo LP, does not talk new Radiohead LP |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/39537-radioheads-selway-talks-new-solo-lp-does-not-talk-new-radiohead-lp/ |access-date=7 April 2022 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== 2011–2012: ''The King of Limbs'' ===
[[File:CLIVE DEAMER pic Pete Judge.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|A second drummer, [[Clive Deamer]], has joined Radiohead on tour since 2012. He also performed on the "Staircase / The Daily Mail" single and ''A Moon Shaped Pool''.]]
Radiohead released their eighth album, ''[[The King of Limbs]]'', on 18 February 2011 as a download from their website.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2011/feb/18/radiohead-king-of-limbs-live |title=Radiohead release The King of Limbs |last=Swash |first=Rosie |date=19 February 2011 |work=The Guardian|access-date=18 February 2011 |location=UK|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508075607/http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2011/feb/18/radiohead-king-of-limbs-live|archive-date=8 May 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the protracted recording and more conventional rock instrumentation of ''In Rainbows'', Radiohead developed ''The King of Limbs'' by [[Sample (music)|sampling]] and [[Music loop|looping]] their recordings with [[Turntablism|turntables]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r2147056/review |title=''The King of Limbs'' Review |website=Allmusic|access-date=21 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Alexis Petridis |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/feb/24/radiohead-king-limbs-review |title=Radiohead: ''The King of Limbs'' review |work=The Guardian |date=25 February 2011|access-date=21 April 2011 |location=London|archive-url=https://archive.today/20181116223201/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/feb/24/radiohead-king-limbs-review|archive-date=16 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/02/snap-judgment-radioheads-king-of-limbs.html |title=Snap Judgment: Radiohead's ''The King of Limbs'' |work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=20 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305085842/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/02/snap-judgment-radioheads-king-of-limbs.html|archive-date=5 March 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> It was followed by a retail release in March through XL, and a special "newspaper album" edition in May.<ref>Swash, Rosie (14 February 2011). [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/feb/14/radiohead-new-album "Radiohead to release new album this Saturday"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225045140/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/feb/14/radiohead-new-album |date=25 December 2013}}. ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 16 February 2011.</ref>

''The King of Limbs'' sold an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 copies through Radiohead's website.<ref name="Fricke-2012" /> The retail edition debuted at number six on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/472190/britney-spears-snares-sixth-no-1-on-billboard-200-with-femme-fatale |title=Britney Spears Snares Sixth No. 1 on Billboard 200 with 'Femme Fatale{{'-}}|date=6 April 2011|first=Keith|last=Caulfield|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|location=Los Angeles|access-date=20 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508080130/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/472190/britney-spears-snares-sixth-no-1-on-billboard-200-with-femme-fatale|archive-date=8 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> and number seven on the [[UK Albums Chart]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1044784&c=1 |first=Alan |last=Jones |date=3 April 2011 |title=Adele claims album record but loses to Lopez in singles |work=[[Music Week]] |publisher=[[United Business Media]]|access-date=20 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005092931/http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1044784&c=1|archive-date=5 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> It was nominated for five categories in the [[54th Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Nominess and Winners |date=1 December 2011|access-date=1 December 2011 |publisher=Grammy.com |url=http://www.grammy.com/nominees|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201120225/http://www.grammy.com/nominees|archive-date=1 February 2012}}</ref> Two tracks not included on ''The King of Limbs'', "[[Supercollider / The Butcher|Supercollider" and "The Butcher]]", were released as a double A-side single for [[Record Store Day]] in April.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.recordstoreday.co.uk/exclusive-product.aspx |title=Record Store Day – Exclusive Product|access-date=16 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731180429/http://www.recordstoreday.co.uk/exclusive-product.aspx|archive-date=31 July 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> A compilation of ''King of Limbs'' remixes by various artists, ''[[TKOL RMX 1234567]]'', was released in September.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.avclub.com/radiohead-remix-album-set-for-release-in-september-1798226888 |title=Radiohead remix album set for release in September |last=Hyden |first=Steven |date=9 September 2011 |newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022005754/http://www.avclub.com/articles/radiohead-remix-album-set-for-release-in-september%2C60151/|archive-date=22 October 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

To perform the rhythmically complex ''King of Limbs'' material live, Radiohead enlisted a second drummer, [[Clive Deamer]], who had worked with [[Portishead (band)|Portishead]] and [[Get the Blessing]].<ref name="Selway and evolution">{{cite web |date=9 November 2014 |title=Phil Selway and the evolution of rock drumming in the digital age |url=http://monomusicmag.com/phil-selway-and-the-evolution-of-rock-drumming-in-the-digital-age/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110000743/http://monomusicmag.com/phil-selway-and-the-evolution-of-rock-drumming-in-the-digital-age/|archive-date=10 November 2014|access-date=9 November 2014 |website=Mono}}</ref> In June, Radiohead played a surprise performance on the Park stage at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival, performing songs from ''The King of Limbs'' for the first time.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.nme.com//news/radiohead/57549 |title=Radiohead play 'surprise' Glastonbury show with sixth member |date=24 June 2011|access-date=18 February 2015 |magazine=NME|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020231054/http://www.nme.com/news/radiohead/57549|archive-date=20 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> With Deamer, Radiohead recorded ''[[The King of Limbs: Live from the Basement]]'', released online in August 2011.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nme.com//news/music/radiohead-232-1270222 |title=Watch Radiohead's 'From The Basement' session in full on NME.COM – video – NME |date=18 August 2011 |newspaper=NME |language=en-US|access-date=30 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230232835/http://www.nme.com/news/music/radiohead-232-1270222|archive-date=30 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> It was also broadcast by international BBC channels and released on DVD and Blu-ray in January 2012.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Radiohead's The King of Limbs: Live from the Basement to Be Released on DVD |newspaper=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/11/radioheads-the-king-of-limbs-live-from-the-basemen.html |url-status=dead |access-date=30 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230231742/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/11/radioheads-the-king-of-limbs-live-from-the-basemen.html |archive-date=30 December 2016}}</ref> The performance included two new songs, "[[The Daily Mail / Staircase|The Daily Mail" and "Staircase]]", released as a double A-side download single in December 2011.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://metro.co.uk/2011/12/13/radiohead-to-release-new-singles-the-daily-mail-and-staircase-253852/ |title=Radiohead to release new singles The Daily Mail and Staircase |newspaper=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |date=13 December 2011|access-date=21 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518080914/http://metro.co.uk/2011/12/13/radiohead-to-release-new-singles-the-daily-mail-and-staircase-253852/|archive-date=18 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2012, Radiohead began their first extended North American tour in four years, including dates in the United States, Canada and Mexico.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://radiohead.com/deadairspace/111107/Touring-2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109035703/http://radiohead.com/deadairspace/111107/touring-2012 |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 November 2011 |title=Touring 2012 – RADIOHEAD &#124; Dead Air Space |publisher=Radiohead|access-date=12 November 2011}}</ref>

On 16 June 2012, an hour before gates were due to open at Toronto's [[Downsview Park]] for the final concert of Radiohead's North American tour, the [[Radiohead stage collapse|roof of the venue's temporary stage collapsed]], killing the drum technician Scott Johnson and injuring three other members of Radiohead's [[road crew]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18474835 |title=Radiohead stage collapse 'kills one' in Canada |newspaper=BBC News |date=17 June 2012|access-date=28 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606213736/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18474835|archive-date=6 June 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> After rescheduling the tour, Radiohead paid tribute to Johnson at their next concert, in Nîmes, France, in July.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/radiohead-honor-late-drum-tech-at-first-show-since-stage-collapse-20120711 |title=Radiohead Honor Late Drum Tech at First Show Since Stage Collapse &#124; Music News |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=11 July 2012|access-date=16 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714235624/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/radiohead-honor-late-drum-tech-at-first-show-since-stage-collapse-20120711|archive-date=14 July 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2013, [[Live Nation]] Canada Inc, two other organisations and an engineer were charged with 13 charges under Ontario health and safety laws.<ref name="Technician death">{{Cite news |title='I feel so let down by Canada': Radiohead and drum tech's parents demand answers in his Toronto death |language=en |work=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/radiohead-drum-technician-death-1.4422702|url-status=live|access-date=30 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130023446/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/radiohead-drum-technician-death-1.4422702|archive-date=30 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/live-nation-engineer-charged-in-radiohead-stage-collapse-1.1387677 |title=Live Nation, engineer charged in Radiohead stage collapse |work=[[CBC News]] |date=7 June 2013|access-date=8 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608075820/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/06/07/toronto-live-nation-ontario-ministry-of-labour-optex.html|archive-date=8 June 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2017, after several delays, the case was dropped under the [[R v Jordan (2016)|Jordan ruling]], which sets strict time limits on trials.<ref name="Technician death" /> Radiohead released a statement condemning the decision.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |date=8 September 2017 |title=Radiohead on stalled stage collapse case: "We are appalled" |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-on-stalled-stage-collapse-case-we-are-appalled/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908201541/https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-on-stalled-stage-collapse-case-we-are-appalled/|archive-date=8 September 2017|access-date=9 September 2017 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en}}</ref> A 2019 inquest returned a verdict of [[accidental death]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sodomsky |first=Sam |date=11 April 2012 |title=Radiohead share statement following stage collapse inquest |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-share-statement-following-stage-collapse-inquest/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412021902/https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-share-statement-following-stage-collapse-inquest/|archive-date=12 April 2019|access-date=14 April 2012 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref>

=== 2013–2014: side projects and move to XL ===
[[File:Radiohead New Jersey 2012.jpg|thumb|Radiohead performing on the 2012 ''King of Limbs'' tour|alt=]]In February 2013, Yorke and Godrich's band, Atoms for Peace, released an album, ''[[Amok (Atoms for Peace album)|Amok]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis |date=21 February 2013 |title=Atoms for Peace: ''Amok'' – review |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/21/atoms-for-peace-amok-review |url-status=live |access-date=1 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102194005/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/21/atoms-for-peace-amok-review |archive-date=2 January 2014}}</ref> The pair made headlines that year for their criticism of the free [[streaming media|music streaming]] service [[Spotify]]. Yorke accused Spotify of only benefiting major labels with large back catalogues, and encouraged artists to build their own "direct connections" with audiences instead.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23313445 |title=Thom Yorke pulls albums from Spotify |date=15 July 2013 |newspaper=BBC News|access-date=5 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205105304/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23313445|archive-date=5 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/07/spotify-thom-yorke-dying-corpse |title=Thom Yorke calls Spotify 'the last desperate fart of a dying corpse' |date=7 October 2013 |newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=7 October 2013 |author=Stuart Dredge|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007071008/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/07/spotify-thom-yorke-dying-corpse|archive-date=7 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2014, Radiohead released an app, ''PolyFauna'', a collaboration with the British [[digital art]]s studio Universal Everything, with music and imagery from ''The King of Limbs''.<ref>{{cite web |author=Battan |first=Carrie |date=11 February 2014 |title=Radiohead release PolyFauna app |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/53922-radiohead-release-polyfauna-app/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214101507/http://pitchfork.com/news/53922-radiohead-release-polyfauna-app/ |archive-date=14 February 2014 |access-date=11 February 2014 |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> In May, Yorke contributed a soundtrack, ''Subterranea'', to ''The'' ''Panic Office'', an installation of Radiohead artwork in Sydney, Australia.<ref>{{cite web |date=22 May 2015 |title=Thom Yorke produces new music for Australian exhibition of Radiohead artwork |url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/musicnews/s4240562.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523035850/http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/musicnews/s4240562.htm |archive-date=23 May 2015 |access-date=22 May 2015 |website=[[Triple J]]}}</ref> Yorke and Selway released their solo albums ''[[Tomorrow's Modern Boxes]]'' and ''[[Weatherhouse (album)|Weatherhouse]]'' in late 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/56876-thom-yorke-announces-new-album-tomorrows-modern-boxes |title=Thom Yorke Announces New Album Tomorrow's Modern Boxes &#124; News |last1=Gordon |first1=Jeremy |date=26 September 2014 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926232956/http://pitchfork.com/news/56876-thom-yorke-announces-new-album-tomorrows-modern-boxes/|archive-date=26 September 2014|access-date=26 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com//news/radiohead/78101 |title=Radiohead drummer Philip Selway announces new album ''Weatherhouse'' |last=Stevens |first=Jenny |date=24 June 2014 |website=[[NME]] |language=en-GB|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120601/http://www.nme.com/news/radiohead/78101|archive-date=4 March 2016|access-date=29 January 2016}}</ref> Jonny Greenwood scored his third Anderson film, ''[[Inherent Vice (film)|Inherent Vice]]''; it features a version of an unreleased Radiohead song, "Spooks", performed by Greenwood and members of [[Supergrass]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/07/radiohead-jonny-greenwood-supergrass-spooks-cover-inherent-vice-track |title=Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood hires Supergrass to cover Inherent Vice track |last=Michaels |first=Sean |date=7 October 2014 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007221436/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/07/radiohead-jonny-greenwood-supergrass-spooks-cover-inherent-vice-track|archive-date=7 October 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=14 September 2018}}</ref> ''[[Junun (album)|Junun]]'', a collaboration between Greenwood, Godrich, the Israeli composer [[Shye Ben Tzur]] and Indian musicians, was released in November 2015,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Colter Walls |first=Seth |date=19 November 2015 |title=Shye Ben Tzur / Jonny Greenwood / The Rajasthan Express: ''Junun'' album review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21213-junun/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116074920/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21213-junun/ |archive-date=16 January 2017 |access-date=15 January 2017 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> accompanied by a [[Junun (film)|documentary directed by Anderson]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/junun-film-review-1201613807/ |title=Film Review: 'Junun' |website=Variety |date=8 October 2015|access-date=9 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009191758/http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/junun-film-review-1201613807/|archive-date=9 October 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 2016, Radiohead's back catalogue was acquired by [[XL Recordings]], which had released the retail editions of ''In Rainbows'' and ''The King of Limbs'' and most of Yorke's solo work.<ref name="Billboard – move from Warner">{{cite magazine |title=Radiohead's Early Catalog Moves From Warner Bros. to XL |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7318964/radioheads-early-catalog-warner-bros-xl |date=4 April 2016|access-date=5 April 2016 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |last=Christman |first=Ed}}</ref> XL reissued Radiohead's back catalogue on vinyl in May 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spice |first=Anton |date=6 May 2016 |title=Radiohead to reissue entire catalogue on vinyl |url=http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-news/radiohead-reissue-entire-catalogue-vinyl/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826093045/http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-news/radiohead-reissue-entire-catalogue-vinyl/ |archive-date=26 August 2016 |access-date=6 May 2017 |website=[[The Vinyl Factory]]}}</ref>

=== 2015–2016: ''A Moon Shaped Pool'' ===
Radiohead began work on their ninth studio album in September 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4148661-dis-meets-radioheads-philip-selway--if-it-means-something-to-some-people-then-that-is-success |title=DiS Meets Radiohead's Philip Selway: "If it means something to some people then that is success" |last=Langham |first=Matt |date=4 February 2015 |work=[[Drowned in Sound]]|access-date=4 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204143203/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4148661-dis-meets-radioheads-philip-selway--if-it-means-something-to-some-people-then-that-is-success|archive-date=4 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, they resumed work in the La Fabrique studio near [[Saint-Rémy-de-Provence]], France.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/just-playing-in-a-room-with-friends/ |title=In a room with Radiohead |last=Thorpe |first=Adam |date=18 May 2016 |website=The Times Literary Supplement|access-date=19 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521213231/http://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/just-playing-in-a-room-with-friends/|archive-date=21 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The sessions were marred by the death of Godrich's father<ref name="hanging out with Radiohead">{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=8 June 2017 |title=19 Things We Learned Hanging Out With Radiohead |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/19-things-we-learned-hanging-out-with-radiohead-w486278 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608150813/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/19-things-we-learned-hanging-out-with-radiohead-w486278 |archive-date=8 June 2017 |access-date=8 June 2017 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> and Yorke's separation from his wife, [[Rachel Owen]], who died from cancer in 2016.<ref name="inside OK Computer">{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=1 June 2017 |title=Radiohead's rhapsody in gloom: The story behind ''OK Computer'' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/exclusive-thom-yorke-and-radiohead-on-ok-computer-w484570 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531145331/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/exclusive-thom-yorke-and-radiohead-on-ok-computer-w484570 |archive-date=31 May 2017 |access-date=1 June 2017 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> Work was interrupted when Radiohead were commissioned to write the theme for the 2015 [[James Bond]] film ''[[Spectre (2015 film)|Spectre]]''.<ref name="hanging out with Radiohead" /> After their song, "[[Spectre (song)|Spectre]]", was rejected, Radiohead released it on the audio streaming site [[SoundCloud]] on Christmas Day 2015.<ref>{{cite web |date=25 December 2015 |title=Radiohead reveal rejected theme for James Bond film Spectre |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35178921|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225215044/http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35178921|archive-date=25 December 2015|access-date=25 December 2015 |website=BBC News}}</ref>

Radiohead's ninth studio album, ''[[A Moon Shaped Pool]]'', was released digitally in May 2016, followed by retail versions in June via XL Recordings.<ref name="Pitchfork Daydreaming22" /> It was promoted with music videos for the singles  "[[Daydreaming (Radiohead song)|Daydreaming]]" (directed by Anderson) and "[[Burn the Witch (Radiohead song)|Burn the Witch]]".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1133-decoding-the-politics-in-radioheads-burn-the-witch-video/ |title=Decoding the Politics in Radiohead's "Burn the Witch" Video |last=Hogan |first=Marc |date=3 May 2016 |website=Pitchfork|access-date=6 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506062235/http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1133-decoding-the-politics-in-radioheads-burn-the-witch-video/|archive-date=6 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Pitchfork Daydreaming22">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/65297-radiohead-announce-new-album-release-date-share-daydreaming-video/ |title=Radiohead Announce New Album Release Date, Share "Daydreaming" Video |last=Philips |first=Amy |website=Pitchfork |date=6 May 2016|access-date=6 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508231728/http://pitchfork.com/news/65297-radiohead-announce-new-album-release-date-share-daydreaming-video/|archive-date=8 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The album includes several songs written years earlier, including "[[True Love Waits (song)|True Love Waits]]",<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/05/history-radiohead-true-love-waits.html |title=The 21-Year History of Radiohead's 'True Love Waits,' a Fan Favorite Two Decades in the Making |last=Reilly |first=Dan |date=10 May 2016 |website=Vulture|access-date=11 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907002120/http://www.vulture.com/2016/05/history-radiohead-true-love-waits.html|archive-date=7 September 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and strings and [[Choir|choral vocals]] performed by the [[London Contemporary Orchestra]].<ref name="91x2">{{cite web |url=http://www.91x.com/uncategorized/hear-radioheads-new-albuma-moon-shaped-pool-at-11pm-tonight-on-the-ftw-new-music-show/ |title=Hear Radiohead's New Album "A Moon Shaped Pool" at 11pm tonight on the FTW New Music Show |date=8 May 2016 |website=91X FM|access-date=12 May 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160521171321/http://www.91x.com/uncategorized/hear-radioheads-new-albuma-moon-shaped-pool-at-11pm-tonight-on-the-ftw-new-music-show/|archive-date=21 May 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> It became Radiohead's sixth UK number-one album<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/radiohead-score-sixth-number-1-album-with-a-moon-shaped-pool__15040/ |title=Radiohead score sixth Number 1 album with A Moon Shaped Pool |publisher=officialcharts.com|access-date=13 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516231757/http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/radiohead-score-sixth-number-1-album-with-a-moon-shaped-pool__15040/|archive-date=16 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and reached number three in the US.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7541143/billboard-200-chart-moves-radiohead-a-moon-shaped-pool |title=Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Radiohead's 'A Moon Shaped Pool' Returns After Special Edition's Release |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=13 October 2016 |website=[[Billboard 200|Billboard]]|access-date=15 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200209180004/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7541143/billboard-200-chart-moves-radiohead-a-moon-shaped-pool|archive-date=9 February 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> It was the fifth Radiohead album nominated for the [[Mercury Prize]], making Radiohead the most shortlisted act in Mercury history,<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-bowie-radiohead-and-more-nominated-for-mercury-prize-w432686 |title=David Bowie, Radiohead and more nominated for Mercury Prize |last=Leight |first=Elias |date=4 August 2016 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805213442/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-bowie-radiohead-and-more-nominated-for-mercury-prize-w432686|archive-date=5 August 2016|access-date=5 August 2016}}</ref> and was nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Music Album]] and [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Song|Best Rock Song]] (for "Burn the Witch") at the [[59th Annual Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7597556/grammys-nominees-complete-list-2017 |title=Here Is the Complete List of Nominees for the 2017 Grammys |newspaper=Billboard|access-date=7 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206151125/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7597556/grammys-nominees-complete-list-2017|archive-date=6 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> It appeared on several publications' lists of the best albums of the year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/article/v-clubs-20-best-albums-2016-246644 |title=The A.V. Club's Top 50 Albums of 2016 |date=12 December 2016 |work=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=12 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161212062316/http://www.avclub.com/article/v-clubs-20-best-albums-2016-246644|archive-date=12 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/30/the-best-albums-of-2016 |title=The best albums of 2016 |date=30 November 2016 |work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=5 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315225333/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/30/the-best-albums-of-2016|archive-date=15 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9980-the-50-best-albums-of-2016/?page=5 |title=The 50 Best Albums of 2016 |date=13 December 2016 |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=13 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213222904/http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9980-the-50-best-albums-of-2016/?page=5|archive-date=13 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-albums-of-2016-w451265/radiohead-a-moon-shaped-pool-w451343 |title=50 Best Albums of 2016 |date=29 November 2016 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=29 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129210043/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-albums-of-2016-w451265/radiohead-a-moon-shaped-pool-w451343|archive-date=29 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://time.com/4577061/top-10-best-albums-2016/ |title=The Top 10 Best Albums |date=22 November 2016 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=22 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128143048/http://time.com/4577061/top-10-best-albums-2016/|archive-date=28 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Radiohead second show at Le Zénith in Paris. May 24th 2016.jpg|thumb|Radiohead performing on the 2016 ''Moon Shaped Pool'' tour]]
In 2016, 2017 and 2018, Radiohead toured Europe, Japan, and North and South America,<ref name="Pitchfork – Radiohead in Amsterdam">{{cite web |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |date=20 May 2016 |title=Radiohead in Amsterdam: a tour opener live blog |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/65603-radiohead-in-amsterdam-a-tour-opener-live-blog/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520221831/http://pitchfork.com/news/65603-radiohead-in-amsterdam-a-tour-opener-live-blog/ |archive-date=20 May 2016 |access-date=21 May 2016 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/63069-radiohead-announce-world-tour/ |title=Radiohead Announce World Tour |website=Pitchfork |date=14 March 2016|access-date=14 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315221524/http://pitchfork.com/news/63069-radiohead-announce-world-tour/|archive-date=15 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-announce-north-american-tour/ |title=Radiohead Announce North American Tour {{!}} Pitchfork|last1=Wicks|first1=Amanda|last2=Monroe|first2=Jazz|date=20 February 2018|website=pitchfork.com|language=en|access-date=12 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228213102/https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-announce-north-american-tour/|archive-date=28 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> including headline shows at the [[Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival|Coachella]] and [[Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury]] festivals.<ref name="Glastonbury 2017" /> They were joined again by Deamer.<ref name="Pitchfork – Radiohead in Amsterdam" /> The tours included a performance in Tel Aviv in July 2017, disregarding the [[Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions]] campaign for an international cultural [[Boycotts of Israel|boycott of Israel]]. The performance was criticised by artists including [[Roger Waters]] and [[Ken Loach]], and a petition urging Radiohead to cancel it was signed by more than 50 prominent figures.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/roger-waters-criticizes-whining-thom-yorke-over-radioheads-israel-gig-197361/ |title=Roger Waters Criticizes 'Whining' Thom Yorke Over Radiohead's Israel Gig |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=16 July 2017 |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=18 July 2018 |language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718084115/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/roger-waters-criticizes-whining-thom-yorke-over-radioheads-israel-gig-197361/|archive-date=18 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In a statement, Yorke responded: "We don't endorse [[Netanyahu]] any more than [[Donald Trump|Trump]], but we still play in America. Playing in a country isn't the same as endorsing the government. Music, art and academia is about crossing borders not building them, about open minds not closed ones, about shared humanity, dialogue and freedom of expression."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |date=12 July 2017 |title=Radiohead's Thom Yorke responds as Ken Loach criticises Israel gig |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/12/thom-yorke-radiohead-ken-loach-criticises-israel-gig |access-date=15 July 2017 |work=[[The Guardian]] |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

=== 2017–2020: ''OKNOTOK'' and ''MiniDiscs [Hacked]'' ===
In June 2017, Radiohead released a 20th-anniversary ''OK Computer'' reissue, ''[[OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017|OKNOTOK 1997 2017]]'', comprising a remastered version of the album, B-sides, and previously unreleased material.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Althea |first=Legaspi |date=2 June 2017 |title=Hear Radiohead's Previously Unreleased Song 'I Promise' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-radioheads-previously-unreleased-song-i-promise-w485420 |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602060245/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-radioheads-previously-unreleased-song-i-promise-w485420 |archive-date=2 June 2017 |access-date=2 June 2017}}</ref> Radiohead promoted the reissue with music videos for the bonus tracks "[[I Promise (Radiohead song)|I Promise]]", "[[Man of War (song)|Man of War]]" and "[[Lift (Radiohead song)|Lift]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |date=2 June 2017 |title=Watch Radiohead's New "I Promise" Video {{!}} Pitchfork |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/73929-watch-radioheads-new-i-promise-video/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605081435/http://pitchfork.com/news/73929-watch-radioheads-new-i-promise-video/ |archive-date=5 June 2017 |access-date=2 June 2017 |website=Pitchfork}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Leight |first=Elias |date=23 June 2017 |title=See Radiohead's Paranoia-Inducing 'Man of War' Video |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-radioheads-paranoia-inducing-man-of-war-video-w489190 |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623133539/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-radioheads-paranoia-inducing-man-of-war-video-w489190 |archive-date=23 June 2017 |access-date=23 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=12 September 2017 |title=Video: Radiohead – "Lift" |work=Spin |url=https://www.spin.com/2017/09/radiohead-lift-video/ |url-status=live |access-date=12 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912192927/https://www.spin.com/2017/09/radiohead-lift-video/ |archive-date=12 September 2017}}</ref> ''OKNOTOK'' reached number two on the [[UK Albums Chart|UK Album Chart]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official Albums Chart Top 100 |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20170630/7502/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909113733/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20170630/7502/ |archive-date=9 September 2018 |access-date=9 September 2018 |website=[[Official Charts Company]] |language=en}}</ref> boosted by Radiohead's televised Glastonbury performance that week,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Beech |first=Mark |title=The Glastonbury Effect: Radiohead Back At Top Of U.K. Chart, Foo Fighters Follow |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/markbeech/2017/06/26/the-glastonbury-effect-radiohead-back-at-top-of-u-k-chart-foo-fighters-follow/#496824ad5506 |url-status=live |access-date=27 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627000813/https://www.forbes.com/sites/markbeech/2017/06/26/the-glastonbury-effect-radiohead-back-at-top-of-u-k-chart-foo-fighters-follow/#496824ad5506 |archive-date=27 June 2017}}</ref> and reached number 23 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Ed Sheeran's 'Divide' Tracks Surpass 1 Billion U.S. Streams |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7874021/ed-sheeran-divide-songs-1-billion-streams |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819121715/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7874021/ed-sheeran-divide-songs-1-billion-streams |archive-date=19 August 2018 |access-date=19 August 2018}}</ref> In August, Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed a benefit concert in the [[Marche]], Italy, to help restoration efforts following the [[August 2016 Central Italy earthquake]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |date=20 June 2017 |title=Radiohead announce Italian earthquake benefit show |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-announce-italian-earthquake-benefit-show/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822182651/http://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-announce-italian-earthquake-benefit-show/ |archive-date=22 August 2017 |access-date=22 August 2017 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> In September, the nature documentary series ''[[Blue Planet II]]'' premiered featuring a new version of the ''King of Limbs'' track "Bloom", created with the composer [[Hans Zimmer]].<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Press Association |date=14 September 2017 |title=The ultimate chill out song? Radiohead record new music for David Attenborough's Blue Planet 2 |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/09/14/radiohead-record-new-song-sir-david-attenboroughs-blue-planet/ |url-status=live |access-date=14 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412222743/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/09/14/radiohead-record-new-song-sir-david-attenboroughs-blue-planet/ |archive-date=12 April 2018 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

[[File:RadioheadMontreal170718-80 (42696337945).jpg|thumb|Radiohead performing in Montreal in July 2018]]
Radiohead were nominated for the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2017, their first year of eligibility.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://consequence.net/2017/10/rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame-2018-nominees-radiohead-rage-against-the-machine-kate-bush/?wasp=facebook-ads |title=Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame 2018 nominees: Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush |last=Young |first=Alex |date=5 October 2017 |work=Consequence of Sound|access-date=5 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006013148/https://consequence.net/2017/10/rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame-2018-nominees-radiohead-rage-against-the-machine-kate-bush/?wasp=facebook-ads|archive-date=6 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> They were nominated again in 2018 and inducted the following March. Though Jonny Greenwood and Yorke were uninterested in the event, Selway and O'Brien attended and made speeches.<ref name="Greene-2019">{{Cite magazine |last1=Greene |first1=Andy |last2=Wang |first2=Amy X. |date=30 March 2019 |title=Read the heartfelt rock and roll hall of fame speeches by (some of) Radiohead |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/read-the-heartfelt-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-speeches-by-some-of-radiohead-814701/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330030715/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/read-the-heartfelt-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-speeches-by-some-of-radiohead-814701/ |archive-date=30 March 2019 |access-date=30 March 2019}}</ref> The singer [[David Byrne]], one of Radiohead's formative influences, gave a speech praising Radiohead's musical and release innovations, which he said had influenced the whole music industry.<ref name="Blistein-2019">{{Cite magazine |last1=Blistein |first1=Jon |last2=Wang |first2=Amy X. |date=30 March 2019 |title=Read David Byrne's rock and roll hall of fame tribute to Radiohead |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/radiohead-david-byrne-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-induction-814063/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330195046/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/radiohead-david-byrne-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-induction-814063/ |archive-date=30 March 2019 |access-date=30 March 2019}}</ref>

In June 2019, several hours of recordings made by Radiohead during the ''OK Computer'' period leaked online. In response, Radiohead made them available to purchase online as ''[[MiniDiscs (Hacked)|MiniDiscs [Hacked]]]'', with all proceeds to the environmentalist group [[Extinction Rebellion]].<ref>Ben Beaumont-Thomas, [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/11/radiohead-release-hours-of-hacked-songs-to-benefit-extinction-rebellion 'Radiohead release hours of hacked MiniDiscs to benefit Extinction Rebellion'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611132323/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/11/radiohead-release-hours-of-hacked-songs-to-benefit-extinction-rebellion |date=11 June 2019}}, ''[[The Guardian]]'' 11 June 2019.</ref> In December, Radiohead made their discography available free on [[YouTube]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.openculture.com/2019/12/radiohead-puts-every-official-album-on-youtube.html |title=Radiohead puts every official album on YouTube, making them all free to stream |date=21 December 2019 |website=Open Culture |language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222033527/http://www.openculture.com/2019/12/radiohead-puts-every-official-album-on-youtube.html|archive-date=22 December 2019|access-date=22 December 2019}}</ref> The following January, they launched the Radiohead Public Library, an online archive of their work, including music videos, live performances, artwork and the 1998 documentary ''[[Meeting People Is Easy]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Kaufman |first1=Gil |date=20 January 2020 |title=Radiohead open 'Public Library' with rarities, videos, hard-to-find merch & more |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8548451/radiohead-open-public-library-with-rarities |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200120232340/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8548451/radiohead-open-public-library-with-rarities |archive-date=20 January 2020 |access-date=20 January 2020 |magazine=[[Billboard (website)|Billboard]]}}</ref> Radiohead suspended their online content for [[Blackout Tuesday]] on 2 June, protesting racism and [[police brutality]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Savage |first=Mark |date=2 June 2020 |title=TV, radio and music stars mark 'Blackout Tuesday' |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52889419|access-date=2 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602215533/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52889419|archive-date=2 June 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2017, Selway released his third solo work, the soundtrack to the film ''Let Me Go''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Garratt |first=John |date=3 November 2017 |title=Philip Selway: Let Me Go Original Soundtrack |language=en |work=PopMatters |url=https://www.popmatters.com/philip-selway-let-me-go-2495378270.html |url-status=live |access-date=11 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613064059/https://www.popmatters.com/philip-selway-let-me-go-2495378270.html |archive-date=13 June 2018}}</ref> Jonny Greenwood was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]] for his fifth collaboration with Anderson, ''[[Phantom Thread]]'' (2017),<ref>{{Cite news |last=Young |first=Alex |date=23 January 2018 |title=Jonny Greenwood earns first-ever Oscar nomination |language=en-US |work=Consequence of Sound |url=https://consequence.net/2018/01/jonny-greenwood-earns-first-ever-oscar-nomination/ |access-date=21 February 2018}}</ref> and scored his second film by [[Lynne Ramsay]], ''[[You Were Never Really Here]]'' (2018).<ref>{{cite web |last=Lyttelton |first=Oliver |date=2 May 2017 |title=Jonny Greenwood Scoring Lynne Ramsay's 'You Were Never Really Here' With Joaquin Phoenix |url=http://theplaylist.net/jonny-greenwood-scoring-lynne-ramsays-never-really-joaquin-phoenix-20170502/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205044631/https://theplaylist.net/jonny-greenwood-scoring-lynne-ramsays-never-really-joaquin-phoenix-20170502/ |archive-date=5 December 2018 |access-date=2 May 2017 |work=[[IndieWire]]}}</ref> Yorke released his first feature film soundtrack, ''[[Suspiria (Thom Yorke album)|Suspiria]]'' (2018),<ref>{{Cite news |last=Young |first=Alex |date=4 September 2018 |title=Thom Yorke details Suspiria soundtrack, shares "Suspirium": Stream |work=[[Consequence of Sound]] |url=https://consequence.net/2018/09/thom-yorke-suspiria-details/ |url-status=live |access-date=4 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904192034/https://consequence.net/2018/09/thom-yorke-suspiria-details/ |archive-date=4 September 2018}}</ref> and his third solo album, ''[[Anima (Thom Yorke album)|Anima]]'' (2019), backed by a short film directed by Anderson.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bloom |first=Madison |date=20 June 2019 |title=Thom Yorke announces new album ''Anima'' |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/thom-yorke-announces-new-album-anima/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620231529/https://pitchfork.com/news/thom-yorke-announces-new-album-anima/ |archive-date=20 June 2019 |access-date=21 June 2019 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> In 2020, O'Brien released his debut solo album, ''[[Earth (EOB album)|Earth]]'', under the moniker EOB.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schatz |first=Lake |date=2 December 2019 |title=Radiohead's Ed O'Brien to release debut solo album in 2020, new single 'Brasil' coming this week |url=https://consequence.net/2019/12/radiohead-ed-obrien-debut-solo-album-release-date-2020/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203092736/https://consequence.net/2019/12/radiohead-ed-obrien-debut-solo-album-release-date-2020/ |archive-date=3 December 2019 |access-date=3 December 2019 |website=[[Consequence of Sound]] |language=en-US}}</ref> He had been writing songs for years, but found they did not fit Radiohead.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Olson |first=Cathy Applefeld |date=17 April 2020 |title=Radiohead's Ed O'Brien on his Brazil-inspired solo debut ''Earth'' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/radiohead-ed-obrien-earth-9360518/ |access-date=28 April 2024 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Daniell |first=Mark |date=17 April 2020 |title=Radiohead's Ed O'Brien on going solo: 'Something was missing' |language=en-CA |newspaper=[[Toronto Sun]] |url=https://torontosun.com/entertainment/music/radioheads-ed-obrien-finds-own-voice-on-earth-something-was-missing |access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref> In April, to compensate for the lack of performances during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Radiohead began streaming old concert films on [[YouTube]] on a weekly basis.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graves |first=Wren |date=28 May 2020 |title=Radiohead streaming 1994 show Live at the Astoria on YouTube: Watch |url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/05/radiohead-1994-show-live-at-the-astoria-youtube/ |access-date=2 June 2020 |website=[[Consequence of Sound]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== 2021–present: ''Kid A Mnesia'', the Smile and side projects ===
[[File:The Smile 30 January 2022 - 2.png|thumb|Jonny Greenwood and Yorke performing with [[Tom Skinner (drummer)|Tom Skinner]] as [[The Smile (band)|the Smile]] in January 2022]]

Radiohead abandoned plans to tour in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richards |first=Will |date=26 April 2020 |title=Radiohead were planning to tour in 2021 before coronavirus outbreak |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/radiohead-were-planning-to-tour-in-2021-before-coronavirus-outbreak-2654013|access-date=31 May 2021 |website=[[NME]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> In November, they released ''[[Kid A Mnesia]]'', an anniversary reissue compiling ''Kid A'', ''Amnesiac'' and previously unreleased material. It was promoted with download singles and videos for the previously unreleased tracks "[[If You Say the Word]]" and "[[Follow Me Around]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Martoccio |first=Angie |date=1 November 2021 |title=Radiohead's "Follow Me Around' is a holy grail for fans. 20 years later, it's here |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/radiohead-follow-me-around-video-guy-pearce-1251279/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US|access-date=1 November 2021}}</ref> Plans for an art installation based on the albums were cancelled due to logistical problems and the pandemic. Instead, Radiohead created a free digital experience, ''[[Kid A Mnesia Exhibition]]'', for [[PlayStation 5]], [[macOS]] and [[Windows]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stanton |first=Rich |date=18 November 2021 |title=Radiohead's freaky-looking ''Kid A Mnesiac'' exhibition-game-thing is out (and free!) |language=en |work=[[PC Gamer]] |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/radioheads-freaky-looking-kid-a-mnesiac-exhibition-game-thing-is-out-and-free/|access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref>

In a livestream event held by Glastonbury Festival in May 2021, Yorke and Jonny Greenwood debuted a new band, [[The Smile (band)|the Smile]], with the drummer [[Tom Skinner (drummer)|Tom Skinner]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 May 2021 |title=Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood form new project, the Smile |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/may/22/radioheads-thom-yorke-and-jonny-greenwood-form-new-project-the-smile|access-date=22 May 2021 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> Greenwood said the band was a way to work with Yorke during the [[COVID-19 lockdowns]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 September 2021 |title=Jonny Greenwood on writing the soundtrack for new Princess Diana biopic ''Spencer'' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/jonny-greenwood-spencer-soundtrack-interview-radiohead-new-album-the-smile-3036092|access-date=3 September 2021 |website=[[NME]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> In May 2022, they released their debut album, ''[[A Light for Attracting Attention]]'', to acclaim.<ref>{{cite web |title=''A Light for Attracting Attention'' |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/a-light-for-attracting-attention/the-smile |access-date=12 May 2022 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> The ''Pitchfork'' critic Ryan Dombal described it as "instantly, unmistakably" the best album from a Radiohead side project.<ref name="Pitchfork-review">{{Cite web |last=Dombal |first=Ryan |date=12 May 2022 |title=The Smile: ''A Light for Attracting Attention'' |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-smile-a-light-for-attracting-attention/ |access-date=12 May 2022 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The Smile toured internationally between 2022 and 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richards |first=Will |date=18 May 2022 |title=The Smile debut new song 'Friend Of A Friend' as they kick off European tour |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-smile-debut-new-song-friend-of-a-friend-as-they-kick-off-european-tour-3228250 |access-date=18 May 2022 |website=[[NME]] |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Murrary |first=Robin |date=30 January 2023 |title=The Smile announce ''Europe: Live Recordings 2022'' EP |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/the-smile-announce-europe-live-recordings-2022-ep/ |access-date=30 January 2023 |website=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> and released the albums ''[[Wall of Eyes]]'' and ''[[Cutouts]]'', recorded simultaneously, in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vito |first=Jo |date=28 August 2024 |title=The Smile announce new album ''Cutouts'', release two songs |url=https://consequence.net/2024/08/the-smile-new-album-cutouts-zero-foreign-spies-zero-sumsum-stream/ |access-date=28 August 2024 |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Critics interpreted the Smile as a liberating, lower-pressure project for Yorke and Greenwood,<ref name="Monroe-20242">{{Cite web |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |date=25 January 2024 |title=The Smile: ''Wall of Eyes'' |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-smile-wall-of-eyes/ |access-date=25 January 2024 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Walton |first=Sam |date=2 October 2024 |title=The Smile — ''Cutouts'' |url=https://www.loudandquiet.com/reviews/the-smile-cutouts/ |access-date=4 October 2024 |website=[[Loud and Quiet]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="DeVille-2024">{{Cite web |last=DeVille |first=Chris |date=26 September 2024 |title=Premature evaluation: the Smile ''Cutouts'' |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2279890/the-smile-cutouts-album-review-thom-yorke/reviews/premature-evaluation/ |access-date=26 September 2024 |website=[[Stereogum]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schonfeld |first=Zach |date=10 October 2024 |title=The Smile: ''Cutouts'' |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-smile-cutouts/ |access-date=17 October 2024 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en-US}}</ref> with more jazz, [[krautrock]] and [[progressive rock]] influences and a looser, wilder sound.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis |date=23 May 2021 |title=Live at Worthy Farm review – beautiful music marred by technical meltdown |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/may/23/live-at-worthy-farm-review-glastonburys-dodgy-pyramid-scheme-has-stunning-music |access-date=23 May 2021 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Monroe-20242" /><ref name="DeVille-2024" />

Colin Greenwood toured with [[Nick Cave]] in 2022, 2023 and 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Valentish |first=Jenny |date=28 November 2022 |title=Nick Cave and Warren Ellis review – a transcendent night that veered on holy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/nov/28/nick-cave-and-warren-ellis-review-a-transcendent-night-that-veered-on-holy |access-date=28 November 2022 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Minsker |first=Evan |date=23 March 2023 |title=Nick Cave announces tour featuring Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/nick-cave-announces-tour-featuring-radiohead-bassist-colin-greenwood/ |access-date=23 March 2023 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lynskey |first=Dorian |date=5 September 2024 |title=Radiohead's Colin Greenwood on playing with Nick Cave: 'Am I a Bad Seed now? No!' |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/colin-greenwood-nick-cave/ |access-date=9 March 2025 |website=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |language=en}}</ref> and performed on his 2024 album ''[[Wild God]].''<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Grow |first=Kory |date=6 March 2024 |title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Tease ''Wild God'' LP with bright title track: 'It seems we're happy' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nick-cave-wild-god-1234981528/ |access-date=6 March 2024 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US}}</ref> He released a book of his photographs of Radiohead in October 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dean |first=Jonathan |date=2 October 2024 |title=The time Thom Yorke smiled — candid snaps by the Radiohead bassist |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/radiohead-new-book-colin-greenwood-hl9prb3vd |access-date=3 October 2024 |website=[[The Times]] |language=en}}</ref> Selway released his third solo album, ''[[Strange Dance]]'', in February 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Corcoran |first=Nina |date=26 October 2022 |title=Radiohead's Philip Selway announces new album, shares song |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-philip-selway-announces-new-album-shares-song-listen/ |access-date=1 November 2022 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en-US}}</ref> He also played drums and percussion on the fifth album by [[Lanterns on the Lake]], ''Versions of Us'' (2023), and joined them on tour.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geiger |first=Amy |date=27 February 2023 |title=Lanterns on the Lake recruit Radiohead drummer Philip Selway for new LP |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/lanterns-on-the-lake-recruit-radiohead-drummer-philip-selway-for-new-lp-stream-a-track/ |access-date=28 February 2023 |website=[[Brooklyn Vegan]] |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Jarak Qaribak]]'', an album by Jonny Greenwood and the Israeli rock musician [[Dudu Tassa]], was released in June.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Strauss |first=Matthew |date=13 April 2023 |title=Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood announces new album with Dudu Tassa, shares song |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-jonny-greenwood-announces-new-album-with-dudu-tassa-shares-song-listen/ |access-date=13 April 2023 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Yorke released his second film soundtrack, ''[[Confidenza (soundtrack)|Confidenza]]'', in April 2024, and began a solo tour in October.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harrison |first=Scoop |date=22 April 2024 |title=Thom Yorke previews ''Confidenza'' film score with two tracks |url=https://consequence.net/2024/04/thom-yorke-confidenza-score-knife-edge-prize-giving/ |access-date=22 April 2024 |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ragusa |first=Paolo |date=23 October 2024 |title=Thom Yorke debuts new song at solo tour kick-off: setlist |url=https://consequence.net/2024/10/thom-yorke-solo-tour-kickoff-new-zealand-video-setlist/ |access-date=23 October 2024 |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]] |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[Tall Tales (Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke album)|Tall Tales]]'', an album by Yorke and the electronic musician [[Mark Pritchard (musician)|Mark Pritchard]], was released in May 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Corcoran |first1=Nina |date=11 March 2025 |title=Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke announce album, share video for new song |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mark-pritchard-and-thom-yorke-announce-album-share-video-for-new-song-watch/ |access-date=11 March 2025 |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref>

Selway said in 2023 that it was healthy for the Radiohead members to work with other musicians, that all the projects came under the Radiohead "umbrella", and that Radiohead "still very much exists".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reed |first=Ryan |date=6 January 2023 |title=Radiohead's Philip Selway on atmospheric solo LP, Radiohead's future |url=https://www.spin.com/2023/01/radiohead-philip-selway-interview/ |access-date=7 January 2023 |website=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=DeVille |first=Chris |date=8 March 2023 |title=We've Got A File On You: Radiohead's Philip Selway |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2216269/philip-selway-radiohead-strange-dance-career-spanning-interview/interviews/weve-got-a-file-on-you/ |access-date=31 August 2023 |website=[[Stereogum]] |language=en}}</ref> Radiohead rehearsed in 2024, but Jonny Greenwood said they were focused on individual projects.<ref name="Ahmed-2024">{{Cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Aneesa |date=21 October 2024 |title=Thom Yorke 'really doesn't give a fuck' if you want Radiohead to return |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/thom-yorke-really-doesnt-give-a-fuck-if-you-want-radiohead-to-return-3804946 |access-date=21 March 2025 |website=[[NME]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> Yorke said: "I think we've earned the right to do what makes sense to us without having to explain ourselves or be answerable to anyone else's historical idea of what we should be doing."<ref name="Ahmed-2024" /> This Is What You Get, an exhibition of Yorke and Donwood's Radiohead artwork, is due to run from August 2025 to January 2026 at the [[Ashmolean Museum]] in Oxford.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 November 2024 |title=Radiohead album covers to go on show at Oxford museum |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0k8y54442xo |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> In March 2025, ''Pitchfork'' reported that Radiohead had formed a new [[limited liability partnership]], suggesting new activity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |date=13 March 2025 |title=Radiohead members form new LLP, historically a telltale sign of new activity |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-members-form-new-llp-historically-a-telltale-sign-of-new-activity/ |access-date=15 March 2025 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

Pressure for Radiohead to boycott Israel grew following the outbreak of the [[Gaza war]] in 2023.<ref name="Jefferson-2024">{{Cite news |last=Jefferson |first=Dee |date=31 October 2024 |title=Thom Yorke walks off stage after being heckled by pro-Palestine protester at Melbourne concert |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/31/thom-yorke-walks-off-stage-after-being-heckled-by-pro-palestine-heckler-at-melbourne-concert |access-date=31 October 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Jonny Greenwood was criticised for performing in Tel Aviv with Tassa in May 2024, and responded in a statement that Israeli artists should not be silenced.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilkes |first=Emma |date=2024-06-04 |title=Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood speaks out against "silencing Israeli artists for being born Jewish in Israel" while defending current project |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/radioheads-jonny-greenwood-speaks-out-against-silencing-israeli-artists-for-being-born-jewish-in-israel-while-defending-current-project-3762531 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=[[NME]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> In October, Yorke temporarily left the stage after he was heckled by a pro-Palestine protester at a solo concert in Melbourne.<ref name="Jefferson-2024" /><ref name="Ritchie-2024">{{Cite web |last=Ritchie |first=Hannah |date=31 October 2024 |title=Radiohead singer Thom Yorke walks off stage as fan shouts Gaza protests |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yrv2zyd22o |access-date=1 November 2024 |website= |publisher=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> In May 2025, two UK concerts by Greenwood and Tassa were canceled following threats to the venues and staff.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Snapes |first=Laura |date=2025-05-06 |title=Jonny Greenwood and Israeli musician Dudu Tassa condemn ‘silencing’ after UK concerts pulled |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/may/06/jonny-greenwood-and-israeli-musician-dudu-tassa-condemn-silencing-after-uk-concerts-pulled |access-date=2025-05-06 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Snapes |first=Laura |date=2025-05-06 |title=Jonny Greenwood and Israeli musician Dudu Tassa condemn ‘silencing’ after UK concerts pulled |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/may/06/jonny-greenwood-and-israeli-musician-dudu-tassa-condemn-silencing-after-uk-concerts-pulled |access-date=2025-05-06 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>