Blue Morpho (album)

O'Brien began writing Blue Morpho after the release of his debut solo album, Earth, in 2019. The Earth tour was cut short by the COVID-19 global pandemic. During the lockdown, O'Brien suffered depression.^[1] He would lock himself away in the early hours, creating music with no goal until he began to hear the music as a whole piece.^[1] He was inspired by the Welsh countryside, the teachings of the athlete Wim Hof, his experiences using magic mushrooms, and advice given to him by the Radiohead songwriter, Thom Yorke, to catalogue and revisit song ideas.^[2][1]

Blue Morpho was produced by Paul Epworth. It was recorded at O'Brien's studio in Wales and Church Studios in London.^[3] It features musicians including the guitarist Dave Okumu, the percussionist Crispin "Spry" Robinson, the keyboardist Nick Ramm, and the Radiohead drummer, Philip Selway.^[1] The strings were arranged by the Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits and performed by the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra.^[1] O'Brien asked Kõrvits to compose the strings after meeting him at an Estonian music conference. He likened his work to the strings in Scott Walker songs.^[4]

Blue Morpho was recorded at 432 Hz rather than standard concert pitch.^[4] O'Brien believed that the frequency has a healing property and could "vibrate in harmony with the cells in your body and the world around you ... In comparison, music at 440 Hz feels slightly shrill. The instruments sound and resonate better at this frequency, especially acoustic instruments like guitars. It feels deeper."^[5] He said his Radiohead bandmates had dismissed the practice as "new age", but that it was growing in popularity.^[4]

Blue Morpho was completed in early 2024.^[1] O'Brien said he was initially insecure about his songwriting, fearing comparisons to his work with Radiohead, but had become more relaxed.^[1][4] The album title refers to a species of butterfly O'Brien saw while living in Brazil in the early 2010s.^[1] After Kõrvits heard the track "Blue Morpho", he suggested O'Brien use it as the album title. O'Brien said: "I didn't think of it. It was right in front of me. Of course, it's like the caterpillar going into the cocoon, in that place of darkness, and emerges with wings."^[4]

O'Brien announced Blue Morpho on 17 March, 2026, alongside the release of the first single, "Blue Morpho".^[2] After releasing Earth under the name EOB, Blue Morpho is the first album released under his own name.^[2] O'Brien said that, for Earth, he had not wanted to "put himself front and centre", but that he had now "stopped hiding".^[6]

Blue Morpho is accompanied by a short film, Blue Morpho: The Three Act Play, which premiered at the American film festival South by Southwest in March.^[3] O'Brien is scheduled to begin a European tour in October 2026, with support from Eska and Okumu.^[7]

More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	86[8]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	8/10[9]
NME	[10]
Pitchfork	7.7/10[11]

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On the review aggregator website Metacritic, Blue Morpho has a score 86 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim".^[8] In NME, Andrew Trendell wrote that it was "the sound of healing, with Ed O'Brien out of his cocoon and in dazzling flight".^[10] In Clash, Tom Morgan wrote that "O'Brien boasts a wholly uninhibited approach to how rock and pop music is arranged, resulting in works that move and grow like the building blocks of life itself".^[9] Pitchfork called it "a much more confident, cohesive follow-up" to Earth.^[11]

Credits adapted from Tidal.^[12]