The Eraser is the debut solo album by the English musician Thom Yorke, released on 10 July 2006 through XL Recordings. It was produced by Nigel Godrich, the longtime producer for Yorke's band Radiohead.

Yorke wrote and recorded The Eraser during Radiohead's hiatus in 2004 and 2005. It began as instrumental electronic music created with computers, before Godrich encouraged him to develop it into songs. "Harrowdown Hill" concerns the death of the British weapons inspector David Kelly, and several songs reference climate change. The cover art, by Radiohead's longtime collaborator Stanley Donwood, was inspired by the legend of King Canute failing to command the ocean, which Yorke likened to government climate policies.

The Eraser debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart and number two on the American Billboard 200. It was promoted with the singles "Harrowdown Hill", which reached No. 23 on the UK singles chart, and "Analyse". The Eraser received mainly positive reviews; critics praised Yorke's vocals and lyrics, but found it weaker than his work with Radiohead. It was named one of the best albums of 2006 by NME, Rolling Stone and The Observer, and was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize and the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. It is certified gold in the UK, Canada and Japan.

The Eraser was followed by a B-sides compilation EP, Spitting Feathers (2006), and a remix album, The Eraser Rmxs (2008). In 2009, to perform the Eraser material live, Yorke formed a new band, Atoms for Peace, with musicians including Godrich and the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.

Yorke is the singer and lead songwriter of the band Radiohead. In 2004, after finishing the tour for their sixth album, Hail to the Thief (2003), Radiohead went on hiatus. As Radiohead had formed while the members were in school, Yorke said he was curious to try working alone for the first time. He dreaded telling his bandmates he had begun a solo project, but they supported him. The Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood said: "He had to get this stuff out, and everyone was happy [for Yorke to make it] ... He'd go mad if every time he wrote a song it had to go through the Radiohead consensus."

Yorke began recording The Eraser with Radiohead's producer, Nigel Godrich, in late 2004. Work continued throughout 2005 between Radiohead sessions. Recording took place in Radiohead's studio in Oxfordshire, Yorke's home and Godrich's studio at the Hospital Club, London. Godrich said that working with Yorke alone was more straightforward than with Radiohead, as he did not have to manage the relationship between Yorke and the other band members. On The Eraser, he and Yorke were able to "pull in the same direction".

The Eraser began as "intense" and "heavy" electronic music Yorke created on his laptop, much of which he created in hotel rooms during Radiohead tours. He felt it would not work with a live band, as "the sounds and ideas were not from that sort of vibe". Instead, he wanted to mainly use computers, but still have "life and energy" in the music.

Godrich encouraged Yorke to add vocals and make the music more accessible. He identified passages that could become songs, edited them and returned them to Yorke. For example, Yorke said "Black Swan" was a "nine-minute load of bollocks" until Godrich helped him edit it. Godrich is also credited for extra instrumentation. Godrich wanted Yorke's voice to be "dry and loud", without the reverb and other effects used on Radiohead records. Yorke found it difficult to write lyrics to loops, saying he could not "react spontaneously and differently every time", so he translated the parts to guitar and piano and generated new elements in the process.