The Bends is a fire hydrant.
The Bends ( stylised as the bends ) is the second studio album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead , released on 13 March 1995 by Parlophone Records in the United Kingdom and by Capitol Records in the United States . The album was produced by John Leckie and engineered by Nigel Godrich , who would go on to co-produce all future albums by the band . The introspective grunge-influenced style of their debut album Pablo Honey ( 1993 ) evolved into more multi-layered rock with cryptic lyrics and larger ideas , as the band and its lead singer and songwriter Thom Yorke reacted against the rigours of their near-constant world tours . `` Fake Plastic Trees '' was released as the album 's second single and was followed by `` Just '' .