Radiohead decided to self-release In Rainbows after negotiations with EMI collapsed, following a dispute over ownership of their back catalogue. Radiohead incorporated a variety of styles and instruments, using electronic instruments, strings, piano, and the ondes Martenot. In Rainbows is more personal than previous Radiohead albums, with singer Thom Yorke describing it as 'seduction songs'.
After re-enlisting longtime producer Nigel Godrich, Radiohead recorded in the country houses Halswell House and Tottenham House, the Hospital Club in London, and their studio in Oxfordshire. In 2006, after initial recording sessions with new producer Spike Stent proved fruitless, the band toured Europe and North America, performing the new material. Radiohead began work on In Rainbows in early 2005. It was Radiohead's first release after their recording contract with EMI ended with their album Hail to the Thief (2003). It was self-released on 10 October 2007 as a pay-what-you-want download, followed by a physical release internationally through XL Recordings in December 2007 and in North America through TBD Records on 1 January 2008. In Rainbows is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Radiohead.
