Thom Yorke has shared a solo version of Radiohead’s “Bloom” for a new Greenpeace ad created for Shark Awareness Day titled “The Lonely Shark.”
Clocking in at under two minutes, the reworking pares down The King of Limbs cut to a piano-driven track as Yorke’s haunting vocals are used to soundtrack the depiction of two sharks that are separated when one of them is ensnared by a fishing boat. “In the last 50 years the global shark population has plummeted by 70%,” reads the video’s description. “Sharks are being wiped out by overfishing for profit. But our oceans can recover if we protect them.”
In March, Yorke shared a new solo track called “5.17” for the soundtrack to the sixth and final season of Peaky Blinders, which was followed by “That’s How Horses Are” one month later. His last solo album, ANIMA, was released in 2019. Yorke is currently on tour as part of The Smile alongside fellow Radiohead member Jonny Greenwood and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner. Grab your tickets here to catch them debuting unreleased songs not included on their first album A Light for Attracting Attention.
This isn’t the first time Yorke has shared a new version of “Bloom.” Back in 2017, Radiohead joined forces with composer Hans Zimmer to rework it for a five-minute prequel to BBC’s environmental series Blue Planet II. Dubbed “(ocean) bloom,” it was recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra and featured new vocals from Yorke. He also performed the song as part of his Electric Lady Studios in-studio session in 2019.