Thom Yorke has said he believes issues such as climate change are giving people anxiety.
The Radiohead frontman spoke with The Sunday Times in an interview about his new solo album, ANIMA, where he also spoke about his band, thoughts on current music, and ongoing social and political issues.
“It’s good that depression and anxiety are being talked about more,” he said. “But they’re also on the rise… [there’s] much less security about what may happen in the near future. Much less trust of institutions there to protect them, as well as wider issues like climate change. This all makes people anxious, and it’s crazy that people don’t just acknowledge that.”
Yorke also spoke of his frustration at fans who attempt to dissect his lyrics and interpret the messages they might include.
“It’s like people walking over your grave,” Yorke said. “You can’t possibly know how I got to that point, so I get angry if people do that, because I don’t work biographically. I find it insulting. I’m actually a creative person, so there’s a bit more involved.
“Am I such a sad f****** human being that I pour my dirt out like that? Maybe others do, I don’t. My lyrics are spasmodic, and I wish I could do storytelling, but I don’t know how. So I resort to what I do know, which is more about images, imagery, visuals.”
ANIMA has received positive reviews from critics. A review for The Independent commented: “The tones here are stark and bleak, compared to the claustrophobia of 2014’s Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes. You can hear his paranoia in the stuttering techno opener “Traffic”, which channels the heady grooves and pulses of electronic artist Floating Points (who, with his neuroscience background, seems like an entirely fitting reference point).”
“By the end of ANIMA, you’re left wondering about those dreams that are just out of reach, but also what we risk losing when we look back.”
