Return Ticket: Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood and Shye Ben Tzur board The Rajasthan Express once again!

A decade. That’s how long it’s been since Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, and The Rajasthan Express holed up inside a 15th-century fort in Jodhpur to make Junun — an album The Sunday Times named one of the most inspired releases of that year, one that Paul Thomas Anderson turned into a documentary, and one most fans assumed would never have a sequel.

They were wrong.

Ranjha arrives May 8, and the story of how it got here is as unlikely as the project itself. The group never intended to wait a decade between releases, but COVID-19, Radiohead’s own creative plans, and other disruptions slowed everything down. Songs for Ranjha first took shape while touring globally with Radiohead in 2017 and 2018, followed by writing sessions in Italy — before the pandemic shelved it indefinitely. For years, the material sat in limbo, waiting for the right moment to breathe.

Meanwhile, Greenwood has been everywhere. His score for Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another earned an Oscar nomination, with the film going on to win Best Picture. Radiohead returned for 20 arena dates across Europe in late 2025 — their first shows in seven years. He also made Jarak Qaribak with Dudu Tassa, where singers crossed borders to reinterpret beloved Middle Eastern songs. Ben Tzur, too, never paused — deepening his life in Rajasthan and performing with The Rajasthan Express across India. 

But when they finally reconvened, they chose Greenwood’s Oxfordshire studio over Mehrangarh Fort. Twenty-one musicians. Sam Petts-Davies producing. Tom Skinner from The Smile on drums. A completely different setting — but the same fearless spirit.

What hasn’t changed is the alchemy: an Israeli-American who moved to Ajmer after discovering Indian classical music at 19; a Radiohead guitarist more at home with alienation than spirituality; and a brass-heavy ensemble rooted in Sufi qawwali and Manganiyar folk. Together, they create something none could alone.

As Ben Tzur puts it: you feel this music on your body first. Then it reaches your heart. Then come the words. Ranjha is a window into a phenomenal tradition. Walk through it.