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Ed O’Brien’s second solo album Blue Morpho marks a defining moment – it’s his first record to appear under his own name, instead of his EOB moniker. Best known for his work with Radiohead, O’Brien says the shift reflects a deeper personal change.
“I’m not hiding any more,” he explains. “I was hiding behind a doppelgänger called EOB. I had huge insecurities. Coming from Radiohead, knowing I’d be compared to Thom Yorke or Jonny Greenwood, I felt like, ‘Who am I?’
“But going through that, you come out the other side and think, ‘I don’t care any more.’ That’s a really liberating place.”
Produced and co-written with Paul Epworth – who’s previously worked with Adele, Florence + The Machine and Mumford And Sons – Blue Morpho was shaped by a turbulent period following the release of 2020 solo debut Earth. As lockdown set in, O’Brien entered what he describes as “the deepest depression” of his life; an experience that redefined his relationship with music.
“It strips everything away – it crushes the ego,” he reflects. “You’re forced to confront your fears, and eventually you reach acceptance. That process of letting go had a profound impact on the music.”
Much of the album began as daily improvisations. “I’d go into the studio and just play with no expectations. It was therapy: you turn up every day and let something come through. Sometimes it’s just a few notes, but you can feel the potential of a whole song in them.”
Those fragments were later developed into expansive compositions that prioritise mood and texture over conventional form. “I wanted the music to breathe,” O’Brien explains. “If something wants to be 10 minutes long, let it be. I’m bored of forcing things into a structure.”
Blue Morpho also features Radiohead drummer Phil Selway, British jazz musician Shabaka Hutchings and Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits, whose contributions helped shape its fluid, exploratory sound.
For O’Brien the album represents both release and renewal. “It’s about the process now. It’s something I have to do – and I love it.”
Blue Morpho is on sale now via Transgressive Records.
