After deleting virtually their entire online presence over the weekend, Radiohead have now shared some new communication with their fans by posting two animated videos via their Instagram account.

On Sunday (May 1st), the group wiped the entire contents of their Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus accounts and their official website faded to white so that nothing could be seen. Many took this as a sign that the group were preparing a big official announcement concerning a new album.

However, at 6am British time on Tuesday, the following brief video of an animated bird chirping was posted on the group’s official Instagram account.

A video posted by Radiohead (@radiohead) on

Later the same day, at around midday, a second mysterious video of a woman tied to a stake, surrounded by robed, masked men with swords, also appeared on their account. This second clip is set to a brief burst of music, which some have speculated might be an excerpt from new material.

Radiohead’s fans have made a connection with director Chris Hopewell, who has previously worked with the band on their 2003 video for ‘There There’ as well as with Franz Ferdinand, The Killers and Scissor Sisters on various projects.

More: Radiohead’s manager says the band’s new album will be released “in June”

A video posted by Radiohead (@radiohead) on

The day of Radiohead’s internet black-out triggered speculation that a prospective new album would be called Dawn Chorus, as the first Sunday of May is known International Dawn Chorus Day, dedicated to the natural symphonies of early morning birds.

The band had also registered a new company called Dawn Chorus LLP earlier this year, a move they had previously done ahead of their last album in 2011, The King of Limbs, and its 2007 predecessor In Rainbows.

Meanwhile, a select number of the group’s fans received a strange communication in the mail on 30th April – a folkloric date said to belong to witches – in the form of a pamphlet which read “Sing the song of sixpence that goes 'Burn the witch'.” This also fits in rather neatly with the second video that was posted on Tuesday afternoon.

Whatever it actually means, Radiohead’s fans are braced for a new album to be released online in the next few days, despite the group’s manager recently saying new material would be arriving “in June”.

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