Ed O’Brien’s Blue Morpho is ready to emerge from the Radiohead shadow

Ed O’Brien’s Blue Morpho arrives tomorrow, 22 May via Transgressive, so 21 May is a strong release-eve moment for the Radiohead guitarist’s second solo album. Unlike his 2020 debut Earth, which was released under the EOB moniker, Blue Morpho appears under his own name, a small but meaningful shift.

O’Brien has described the album as emerging from a difficult period that included depression after the pandemic cut short his previous touring cycle. The music was shaped through long stretches of guitar playing, the Welsh countryside, cold-water practice and a gradual process of self-recovery.

Produced by Paul Epworth, the album features contributions from Shabaka Hutchings and Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits, and is accompanied by a short film, Blue Morpho: The Three Act Play.

What makes this interesting for indie and alternative readers is not only the Radiohead connection. It is the question of how a musician known for atmosphere, texture and ensemble chemistry steps forward into a more exposed role. Blue Morpho sounds positioned as a record about healing, identity and finally allowing oneself to be visible. Source: https://pitchfork.com/news/ed-obrien-announces-new-solo-album-blue-morpho