Ed O’Brien’s debut solo album, Earth, is finally set to drop next week. To tide fans over until then, he’s shared one of the record’s most highly anticipated tracks: a duet with Laura Marling called “Cloak of the Night”.
This is the fourth single we’ve heard from O’Brien under the moniker EOB, following “Brasil”, “Shangri-La”, and “Olympik”, not including album precursor “Santa Teresa”. “Cloak of the Night” is Earth’s closing track, and, according to O’Brien’s interview on Kyle Meredith With…, it’s also one of his favorites because it doesn’t blend in with the other songs on the album. (Listen to the full interview below.)
“Cloak of the Night” is a beautiful, slow ballad that sees O’Brien and Marling harmonizing while staying slightly behind one another, as if they’re in a race to chime in and soothe their friend. That may sound a bit dizzying, but the song is rather simple and heartwarming — that crisp, acoustic guitar part does wonders as the backdrop — and just might be the best song from the EOB record yet. Stream it below.
Last month, O’Brien revealed that he thought he had COVID-19. He was sick for 10 days with flu-like symptoms and lost his ability to taste and smell. To ensure no one else gets sick, Radiohead is uploading some of their classic concerts to YouTube.
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Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien Duets with Laura Marling on New Song “Cloak of the Night”: Stream
Nina Corcoran