Thom Yorke has teased his new song Not the News through a curious hotline advertisement embedded in the London Tube System.
Users needed to call the phone number listed on the ad (916-619-6192), marketed to individuals wanting to remember their forgotten dreams. Very on-brand, Thom. Nice.
Thom Yorke has teased upcoming new music with a mysterious subway advertisement, a pre-recorded phone message, and a curiously bare website.
The mysterious number directed callers to a voice message which states “Anima technologies has been ordered by the authorities to cease and desist from undertaking its advertised business”. Listeners who stayed until the end of the message were treated to a portion of Not the News, an unreleased track which Yorke has been recently performing in his live shows.
A website for Anima Technologies has also been created. The link leads to a disclaimer stating that the site has been “seized” due to “serious and flagrant unlawful activities”.
Yorke released two exciting classical compositions in April, and earlier released content from a film score he was working on.
I guess we better strap ourselves in and try not to get too weirded out by these new marketing methods.
For our tube riding friends in London, we hope that the process of calling this number has been a fun easter egg. I look forward to the day (with bated breath) that we see hidden Radiohead advertisements on Sydney’s driverless metro…
