Squid

Early praise for O Monolith

“Squid’s wayward invention has had space to breathe, adding a new confidence to their defiant leaps of faith.” - Mojo 4/5

“O Monolith channels the shapeshifting patterns of Steve Reich and late-period Radiohead to fashion a kind of lush English pastoral that seethes and shimmers at every turn.” - Uncut 8/10

“O Monolith is a leap forward in most senses. The songwriting, the arrangement, the production and the lyrics speak of a band fully engaged with the idea of drilling down further into their own identity, while creatively pushing outwards.” - The Quietus 

“An intricate web that is a joy to get tangled up in.” - Dork (★★★★)

Squid share new track, “The Blades”, the final single to be released ahead of their sophomore album, O Monolith, out June 9th via Warp Records. [pre-order here] The single is accompanied by a video directed by Kasper Häggström (Radiohead, Kelly Lee Owens) featuring rising British actress Charlotte Ritchie famed for her roles in Fresh Meat, Stath Lets Flats and Ghosts. 

Similarly to Squid, Häggström’s work blurs the lines between high-concept philosophies and the humdrum of domesticity. Häggström video for “The Blades” sees the protagonist, played brilliantly by Ritchie, locked in a Kafka-esque nightmare as she sits ludicrously at the back of an imaginary queue in an empty waiting room due to a mischievous child's prank. The passage of time and cruel absurdity of the situation triggers an out of body experience and release before returning to her Sisyphean plight.

Häggström on his video: “At last we get to work together! Thank you for trusting in my idea and for presenting me with such a great track from your latest album. This concept is one I've been thinking of for a while now and it fits seamlessly with the track.”

“The Blades” presents the dynamic range of singer Ollie Judge’s vocal delivery, a marked change across O Monolith. Judge credits it as his favourite Squid song thus far. “It’s a lot more vulnerable than stuff we’ve previously done, which can be quite a daunting thing. Dan [Carey] and I were talking about vocal delivery and how it would be good to not completely let myself go, and not fall back on shouting because it’s more instantly gratifying. The end of the song is really soft and tender and I don’t think we’ve done something like that before,” comments Judge. "On the surface it’s a song about police brutality with the last section kind of inspired by The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, although I’ve never read the book, I’ve just seen The Simpsons’ spoof of it. Narratively it follows a police helicopter pilot's day, ending with him in bed hearing another pilot circling the skies as if he were taunting him. There’s a deeper meaning in there somewhere of my fear of ego, but I’m still working out which bit of the song that’s coming from.” 

Produced by Dan Carey, mixed by John McEntire from Tortoise and recorded at Real World, O Monolith tackles themes and issues such as environmental peril, morality and English folklore. Expansive, evocative and hugely varied, O Monolith retains Squid’s restless, enigmatic spirit. It’s a reflection of the outsized progression of a band always looking to the future. “We’re quite a musically stubborn band, and in an endearing way it’s a stubborn record,” says Judge. Like its namesake, O Monolith is vast and strange; alive with endless possible interpretations. 

Squid have recently announced a Winter North American headline tour and a series of intimate shows partnering with record shops around the release of the album.