In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1, Thom Yorke has opened up about his new solo album, ANIMA, politics and more. The record is due to be officially released this Friday, 28 June.
Yorke spoke about the album’s concept, citing “anti-music” as its inspiration. He also said that because of this concept, the record was quick to create. “We’ve had most of this stuff for ages, and the joke was, it was really quick to do. We set up as we do the live shows for most of it…and knocked it out.”
He also explained the title of the record, ANIMA, saying he called it that “partly because I’m obsessed with this whole dream thing, and it comes from this concept that [Carl] Jung had.”
He elaborated with “But, also, we have started to emulate what our devices say about us and emulate the way we behave from that. So, I had this whole thing where, like, the reason we can watch Boris Johnson lie through his teeth, promise something that we know will never happen is: We don’t have to connect with it directly because it’s a little avatar. It’s this little guy with a stupid haircut waving a flag…. “That’s all right, that’s funny.” And the consequences are not real. The consequences of everything we do are not real. We can remain anonymous. We send our avatar out to hurl abuse and poison, and then trot back anonymous.”
He also talked about the state of UK and US politics, saying “We have a Punch and Judy show in America, another one in Britain that apparently that’s what goes for politics these days.”
Watch the full exchange below.
