Squid will release their new album ‘Cowards’ on February 7th.
The band have released two titanic albums, a continually creative force that skirt between math rock adjacent rhythms, hyper-electronics, and surrealist imagery. Returning to the studio last year, it seems a third instalment is on the way, and it’ll be released in Spring.
Out on February 7th, new album ‘Cowards’ was constructed at Church Studios in Crouch End with Mercury prize winning producer Marta Salogni and Grace Banks. Old friend Dan Carey – who recorded Squid’s opening two albums – is on additional production.
There’s a few guests here, too. Sessions for the album welcomed contributions from Danish experimental songsmith Clarissa Connelly; composer, pianist and singer Tony Njoku; Rosa Brook from punk group Pozi; percussion wizard Zands Duggan; and Jonny Greenwood collaborators the Ruisi Quartet for violin, viola and cello.
‘Cowards’ is available to pre-order now, and will be available on black and clear vinyl, CD and cassette. There will also be a limited deluxe edition vinyl – including a 10” with bonus material and poster only available from independent retailers and Squid’s website.
New single ‘Crispy Skin’ is excellent – opening with sunrise electronics before introducing some stabbing strings, the arrangement feels like a twisted take on Tears For Fears at their most outre.
Operating as a kind of askew pop song, ‘Crispy Skin’ continually evolves, while the lyrics from Ollie Judge – partly inspired by the book Tender Is The Flesh – discuss cannibalism.
He comments…
‘Crispy Skin’ was lyrically inspired by a dystopian novel I read where cannibalism becomes the societal norm and humans are manufactured and sold in supermarkets. I think when most people read books like these they picture themselves as the sort of person that would take the moral high-ground within these narratives. The track was written about how the reality of having a moral-compass in these stories of desperation and horror would be extremely difficult.
Tune in now.
Tracklist:
1. Crispy Skin
2. Building 650
3. Blood on the Boulders
4. Fieldworks I
5. Fieldworks II
6. Cro-Magnon Man
7. Cowards
8. Showtime!
9. Well Met (Fingers Through The Fence)
Photo Credit: Harrison Fishman
