The world is burning. Technology is turning us into alienated dead-bots. Radiohead will never again give us a proto-Coldplay anthem in the tradition of ‘High And Dry’.

Not much to be cheerful about then. That’s at least according to Thom Yorke, as he releases his third solo album. Anima is in part inspired by the waking nightmares he suffered battling jet-lag and insomnia as Radiohead toured Japan. So throwaway chuckles are at a minimum as the singer applies his hope-deficient croon to beats hashed out long distance with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.

Still, the sheer intensity, and the degree to which Yorke commits to tracks such as Moderat-esque opener ‘Traffic’ and the lulling ‘Dawn Chorus’ bring their own rewards. Deeper in, Anima threatens to trash-compact under the sheer weight of ennui. Yet the grooves glisten and Yorke always swings in with a tune.

The singer has been a vocal advocate for the Extinction Rebellion movement and a sense of rising dread for the future of humankind infuses the record. There is no light at the end of this tunnel.

Nonetheless, Yorke’s plunge into existential tumult is strip-lit with consistently thrilling avant-pop. We may be on the road to ruin. Anima’s message is that the ride, at least, is worth our time.

9/10