Squid

Ahead of Squid’s biggest UK show to date at Camden’s Roundhouse, the band present a frenetic and driving new single, “The Hearth And Circle Round Fire,” an outtake recorded during the Cowards sessions.  [Listen Here]

Squid’s show at the Roundhouse concludes two huge EU and UK tours and to acknowledge the occasion, as well as dropping a new single, the band have announced a special merch pop-up at the Colonel Fawcett, just up the road on the 25th and 26th April. Fans can purchase limited copies of the deluxe version of Cowards, which features the new single on wax as well all the tour merch, plus an exclusive item the band have created in partnership with Music Declares Emergency. And if that wasn’t enough, the band have also partnered again with their friends at Cumbrian brewery Gan Yam and created a Cowards beer that will be pouring all weekend.

Straight after the Roundhouse, the band’s North American tour will see them stopping in Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Brooklyn, and more with rapper and producer FearDorian opening. A full list of dates are below and tickets are on sale now.

Cowards solidifies Squid as “among the most experimental new voices to emerge in British guitar music in the 2020s” (Pitchfork) and has earned the quintet some of the most glowing reviews of their career. Consisting of nine stories of evil punctuated by vantablack comedy, Squid’s third album sees the band — Louis Borlase, Ollie Judge, Arthur Leadbetter, Laurie Nankivell, and Anton Pearson — simultaneously growing in scope and returning to basics, exploring textures of folk, kosmische, psychedelia, jazz and electronics.

Of the song’s genesis, vocalist & drummer Ollie Judge explains: “‘The Hearth And Circle Round Fire’ is a punky tune that came together quite easily but we felt dissatisfied with that ease and decided to record it as a 15 minute jam, rip it apart and tape it back together. Lyrically, it was inspired by the dystopian worlds of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and Kay Dick’s They, worlds which everyday people succumb to mass censorship and propaganda with only a small amount of people willing to fight against it.”

Praise for Squid and Cowards

“[the UK post-punks’ latest frames even heavier subject matter—the nature of evil itself—in darkly dazzling songs at once ominous and luxurious.” Pitchfork

"There's something hypnotic, even rather beautiful, about Cowards, marking Squid out as one of Britain's most compelling bands" 4/5 The Sunday Times Album Of The Week

“Cowards is the latest evolution of one of Britain’s most exciting groups, a record that sees them become weirder, wilder and more exploratory with age" The Quietus Album Of The Week

"Settling into their status as Britain’s new rock innovators” 5/5 The Skinny Album Of The Month

"Swashbuckling violins, harpsichords and timpanis, and narratives of Tokyo, New York, or Eastern Europe show us that, yes, Squid have travelled the world, but they have also returned home with a sense of self that’s stronger than ever, as sharp as a razor dripping with freshly drawn blood." 4.5/5 DIY

"Cowards is all killer, both musically and thematically" 4/5 Mojo

“[Cowards unfolds] into something that is really beautiful, intricate, and interesting.” NPR’s All Songs Considered

“On Cowards, Squid’s world and sound alike open up. It feels as if their story is just getting started.” Stereogum

“Their most powerful and complex statement to date” Exclaim!