July 13, 2021

Thom Yorke / Radiohead - "Creep (Very 2021 Rmx)"


Earlier this year, Japanese fashion designer Jun Takahashi presented his Fall 2021 collection under the theme "Creep Very" and, fittingly, used a remix of Radiohead's breakout single as the soundtrack. Thom Yorke has now made that remix available for streaming.

In the years since its release, Radiohead have grown particularly tired of playing their massive single that helped launch them as an alternative rock band in the early '90s and for years excluded it from their set lists. Recently, they've added it back in their rotation, but it still gets very limited attention from the group so when Thom Yorke remixed it himself earlier this year, fans were a bit surprised. Was the group finally over their own self-hatred? Well, the jury is still out on that one, but hearing this remix should at least satisfy those who hope to see Radiohead embrace their past. At just over nine minutes long, this feels like a totally reimagined version of the song rather than a remix and it's actually hard to distinguish if any of the original recording made the cut. Thom's vocals are as eerie as ever and the acoustic guitar feels almost out of place amidst the electronic touch points that now encompass the track. Just around the 3:00 minute mark, a rush of synths dominate the song and it gives way to the style Yorke has embraced on his recent solo work. It's ghostly and haunting and lives up to its name in a whole new way. The title calls it "very 2021" and while it might not really feel like a new creative spark, it certainly aligns more with his electronic and dubstep vibes that have also been woven into more recent Radiohead songs as well. 

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