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 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. During the lockdown, O'Brien suffered depression. 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. It features musicians including the guitarist Dave Okumu, the percussionist Crispin "Spry" Robinson, the keyboardist Nick Ramm, and the Radiohead drummer, Philip Selway. The strings were arranged by Tõnu Kõrvits and performed by the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra. Blue Morpho was completed in early 2024. O'Brien said he was initially insecure about his songwriting, fearing comparisons to his work with Radiohead, but was now more relaxed. The title refers to a species of butterfly O'Brien saw while living in Brazil in the early 2010s. == Release ==

O'Brien announced Blue Morpho on 17 March, 2026, alongside the release of the first single, "Blue Morpho". O'Brien said that, for Earth, he had not wanted to "put himself front and centre", but that he had now "stopped hiding". 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. == Track listing ==

Credits adapted from Tidal. Musicians • Ed O'Brien – lead vocals, guitar • Eska – backing vocals (tracks 1, 7) • Yves Fernandez – bass guitar (tracks 1, 4–7) • Luke Mullen – keyboards (track 1, 4) • Nick Ramm – keyboards • Crispin 'Spry' Robinson – percussion (tracks 1–4, 7) • Dan See – drums (tracks 1, 4, 7) • Tallinn Chamber Orchestra – orchestra • Dave Okumu – bass guitar (tracks 2–3) • Philip Selway – drums (tracks 2–3) • Shabaka Hutchings – flute (track 6) Production • Paul Epworth – producers • Riley MacIntyre – producer, recording engineer • Ben Baptie – mixing engineer • Joe LaPorta – mastering engineer • Tõnu Kõrvits – arranger • Dave Okumu – arranger (tracks 2–3) == References ==