‘How to disappear completely’. It’s not only the title of a Radiohead song from the 2001 album Kid A, but is also the act they are pulling right now. Yes, British band Radiohead have deleted themselves from the internet and their fans are flipping over the bizarre situation, fueling rumours over the release of the band’s much-awaited ninth studio album.
Radiohead have wiped out their internet presence and now their Facebook page, Twitter feed and Website are blank. The Radiohead official Facebook page , which had about 12 million followers, now has no posts to show, and a plain white image in place of the profile and the cover image. Same is the case for their Twitter page , followed by 1.58 million people. The band’s microsite page, active since 2010, reads ‘radiohead hasn’t tweeted yet’.
Not just Radiohead, but lead singer Thom Yorke’s Twitter too has also gone blank.
Even the band’s official website, radiohead.com , has gone white as a ghost, with nothing to display for curious visitors.
Speculations are now doing the rounds that Radiohead are on the verge of releasing its ninth studio album, but nobody seems to have a clue when or how. The fact that Brian Message, a personnel from the band’s management company, had earlier said the new album would be released in June, is further strengthening beliefs that the band is indeed planning to come out with their new album. However, Radiohead themselves haven’t given an official word on the same.
Another curious incident of fans receiving a cryptic card in their mail that bears the band’s logo and the words “Sing the song of sixpence that goes ‘Burn the witch’.” accompanying it, has also led people to believe that the Oxford-based band’s new album might come out sooner than one expects.
Radiohead might have have erased themselves from the social media but the social media cannot get enough of them. People have been talking about their disappearing act on Twitter and speculations over the new album are rife.
Radiohead's latest album to be released exclusively on the feeling of existential dread that resides within us all.
— Colin Jones (@colinjones) May 1, 2016
Kissing mom at the Enchantment Under the Sea Ball and my Polaroid of Radiohead is suddenly missing some band members! What have I done?!
— Uncle Dynamite (@UncleDynamite) May 2, 2016
ICYMI, Radiohead have disappeared completely: https://t.co/aud1iuRspB pic.twitter.com/9Ujdd6qu2s
— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) May 2, 2016
Turns out Radiohead's entire internet presence disappeared due to an out-of-date Wordpress carousel plugin.
— Brad Frost (@brad_frost) May 2, 2016
But I thought @radiohead said there would be no surprises. 🙃
— Lang Leav (@langleav) May 2, 2016
thom yorke just showed up at my door with the master of the new radiohead album and said “it’s up to u now” and then flew away out my window
— andy™ (@andylevy) May 2, 2016
If Radiohead wanted to really get interesting, they would drop their new LP under an assumed name with no fanfare, see if anyone notices.
— @ACNewman (@ACNewman) May 2, 2016
Maybe Radiohead are going to erase their entire catalogue except for "Creep," and then start over again.
— brandonstosuy (@brandonstosuy) May 2, 2016
tell you what tho, when radiohead drops the album i'm gonna livetweet that entire thing, joke's on you radiohead
— speedy ortiz ÷ sad13 ÷ sadie dupuis ÷ haunted guy (@sad13) May 2, 2016
Maybe Radiohead are just taking the 90s revival to its logical conclusion: no web presence, music on CD or vinyl you need to pay to hear.
— brandonstosuy (@brandonstosuy) May 2, 2016
I hope Radiohead never stops taking themselves too seriously.
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) May 2, 2016
New Radiohead shirts available now: pic.twitter.com/xdX7T9JwtP
— Jeff Partain (@jeffpartain) May 1, 2016
Radiohead is famous for going against the grain and have previously too released albums in unexpected manners. In 2011, they had released their eighth album, The King of Limbs, within days of announcing it and a day ahead of schedule . Before that, their seventh album In Rainbows was released digitally initially, with a pay-what-you-want to download payment option. One could also download it for free if they wanted.
In 2014, frontman Thom yorke’s solo album Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes was announced and released on the same day on BitTorrent.
Radiohead, widely considered as one of the best bands of the generation, have a loyal army of devoted fans, but also many detractors. A band that started out as part of the Britpop movement, Radiohead changed their alternative-rock music style to a more electronic music-influenced approach. Their 1997 album OK Computer received widespread critical and commercial acclaim, and the band was on its way to become one of top alternative-rock bands in the world.
However, the 200o release Kid A marked a complete departure from OK Computer’s sound, employing a minimalist approach with layered and textured sounds and string arrangements accompanied with electronic and jazz influences; a far cry from the guitar-based music the band had been producing before. Kid A went on to receive worldwide critical acclaim as well, and was hailed as a landmark record. Rolling Stone called it the best album of the decade.
With this bizzare internet harakiri and murmurs of a new album in June, Radiohead fans can only do one thing - wait.
Meanwhile, they all can disappear into this song: