Ed O'Brien announces new album 'Blue Morpho'
The Radiohead guitarist has shared the title track from his Paul Epworth-produced record.
Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien is set to release 'Blue Morpho', his second solo record, through Transgressive on 22nd May 2026. Alongside the announcement, he has shared the album's title track.
Where his 2020 debut 'Earth' appeared under his initials, 'Blue Morpho' marks the first time O'Brien has put out a solo album under his own name. Working with producer Paul Epworth, the record is described as addressing a period of profound personal difficulty that began shortly after 'Earth' arrived, in the early days of the pandemic.
Having almost immediately regretted the near-decade gap between writing and recording his debut, O'Brien soon found himself confronting deep emotional struggles. His wife encouraged him to sit with those feelings, and he developed a daily practice combining Wim Hof breathing and cold-exposure techniques with extended, undirected guitar playing in his small London studio. Thom Yorke had once advised him that good songwriting depended on being a careful librarian of ideas, and O'Brien catalogued everything that emerged during these sessions. Four years of material gradually coalesced into the seven tracks that make up 'Blue Morpho'.
The album took shape through a chain of fortuitous connections. Epworth came on board after the two met through their children's school, and together with engineer Riley MacIntyre they laid down foundations at sessions in Wales. Shabaka Hutchings added flute parts after he and O'Brien discussed frequency and natural resonance at Glastonbury, while Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits arranged orchestral strings performed by the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, a collaboration sparked by their shared admiration for Arvo Pärt. Final work took place at The Church Studios in London, a former sacred space, with Flood contributing sequencing guidance and Ben Baptie on mixing duties.
A short film titled 'Blue Morpho: The Three Act Play' premiered at SXSW and is due to accompany the album's release, with further details still to come.
Where his 2020 debut 'Earth' appeared under his initials, 'Blue Morpho' marks the first time O'Brien has put out a solo album under his own name. Working with producer Paul Epworth, the record is described as addressing a period of profound personal difficulty that began shortly after 'Earth' arrived, in the early days of the pandemic.
Having almost immediately regretted the near-decade gap between writing and recording his debut, O'Brien soon found himself confronting deep emotional struggles. His wife encouraged him to sit with those feelings, and he developed a daily practice combining Wim Hof breathing and cold-exposure techniques with extended, undirected guitar playing in his small London studio. Thom Yorke had once advised him that good songwriting depended on being a careful librarian of ideas, and O'Brien catalogued everything that emerged during these sessions. Four years of material gradually coalesced into the seven tracks that make up 'Blue Morpho'.
The album took shape through a chain of fortuitous connections. Epworth came on board after the two met through their children's school, and together with engineer Riley MacIntyre they laid down foundations at sessions in Wales. Shabaka Hutchings added flute parts after he and O'Brien discussed frequency and natural resonance at Glastonbury, while Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits arranged orchestral strings performed by the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, a collaboration sparked by their shared admiration for Arvo Pärt. Final work took place at The Church Studios in London, a former sacred space, with Flood contributing sequencing guidance and Ben Baptie on mixing duties.
A short film titled 'Blue Morpho: The Three Act Play' premiered at SXSW and is due to accompany the album's release, with further details still to come.
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