Yorke and Godrich criticised the streaming service Spotify, saying it did not fairly compensate new artists, and expressed their wish to give "control of internet commerce back to people who are creating the work".

In December 2014, Yorke released Tomorrow's Modern Boxes on the online music shop Bandcamp alongside a new song, "Youwouldn'tlikemewhenI'mangry".

In 2013, Yorke contributed music to The UK Gold, a documentary about tax avoidance, including an early version of the Tomorrow's Modern Boxes track "A Brain in a Bottle".

[2] The app, for Android and iOS, is an "experimental collaboration" between Yorke's band Radiohead and the British digital arts studio Universal Everything.

[6] The album's second half features a ten-minute ambient suite[8] led by the "percussive" techno looping track "There Is No Ice (For My Drink)".

[6] Rolling Stone described it as a "dread-soaked hymn of emotional defeat", likening it to Radiohead finales such as "Motion Picture Soundtrack" from Kid A (2000).

Matt Mason, the chief content officer at BitTorrent Inc, felt the release set a "gold standard for how to do something direct-to-fan on the internet", and began talks with Radiohead's managers about the future of online music distribution.

[12] MBA students at Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford worked in secret with Yorke's management for the release, analysing fan and market data.

[16] Users could also download a free torrent bundle containing only the "Brain in a Bottle" MP3 and video, or order a "deluxe" vinyl edition of the album packaged in a bespoke antistatic bag.

[21][22] On 8 December 2017, it was reissued on CD and vinyl by XL Recordings[23] and added to further streaming services, including Spotify, along with Yorke's other solo work.

[29] However, Billboard argued that, assuming the ratio of people who paid for the full album was comparable to subscription numbers of Spotify and Pandora, earnings between $1 and 6 million were more likely: "Not bad showing for a self-released, direct-to-fan album that allowed Yorke to circumvent major download stores and gather customer information — but it's no Hollywood starring role, either.

[34] The AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Tomorrow's Modern Boxes as "deliberately underwhelming, an old-fashioned grower that doesn't startle upon first listen but rather slowly unfolds ...

"[35] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone wrote that it "demands deep listening" and praised "Nose Grows Some" as the strongest track.

Tomorrow's Modern Boxes maintains the trademark elements of a Thom Yorke release while injecting subtle moments of fresh invention.

[38] Larry Fitzmaurice of Pitchfork wrote: "There's precious little to grab on to in terms of melody and feeling, and you won't find yourself humming along to anything here.