Radiohead drummer Philip Selway says the band’s ninth album is “coming along nicely” – although he can’t predict how it’s going to play out.
The band started working on the follow-up to 2010’s The King Of Limbs in September. They took a break at the end of last year to concentrate on their various solo projects, but return to work next month.
Selway tells Drowned In Sound: “We’ll make an assessment of where we are then. But we’ve been excited about what we’ve been doing so far – it’s been a productive time.”
Asked about the nature of the material he says: “There might be a core thing eventually, but we come at it from a number of angles. You don’t really know ultimately what’s the strongest intention until we’ve finished.”
And he won’t be drawn on a release schedule, noting: “You can find yourself six months down the line saying, ‘I wish I hadn’t said that, actually.’”
Selway feels the members’ other pursuits informs their approach to working together, even if they don’t influence the music itself. “You’re building your musicality; you’re building your musical confidence. You may be itching for some kind of musical stretches that can’t be done in Radiohead. All those things feed back into a much more positive working relationship between the five of us.”
He recently released second solo album Weatherhouse, of which he says: “That feels like it satisfied something in me. Beyond that, it connects with some people; I hope it continues doing that. I don’t think of it in terms of a Radiohead scale or anything like that, but if it means something to some people then that for me is a success.”
Philip Selway tour dates
Feb 11: London Queen Elizabeth Hall
Feb 12: Leeds Brudenell Social Club
Feb 13: Glasgow King Tut’s
Feb 14: Manchester Deaf Institute
