Radiohead and prolific film composer Hans Zimmer have teamed up for a new version of one of the band’s songs for the BBC’s upcoming Blue Planet II nature documentary series. The song, called “(Ocean) Bloom,” is an orchestral reworking of the skittering, percussive “Bloom” from the band’s 2011 album The King Of Limbs. Zimmer and the band collaborated on this new take, which was performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra alongside new vocals from Thom Yorke. It’s featured as the soundtrack to a five-minute Blue Planet II prequel video that is set to debut on September 27.
In a press release, Thom Yorke noted that “Bloom,” which is full of ocean imagery, had ties to Blue Planet even before this new version was commissioned. “‘Bloom’ was inspired by the original Blue Planet series,” he said, “so it’s great to be able to come full circle with the song and reimagine it for this incredible landmark’s sequel.” He also talked up the experience of working with Zimmer, saying “Hans is a prodigious composer who effortlessly straddles several musical genres, so it was liberating for us all to work with such a talent and see how he wove the sound of the series and Bloom together.”