Noisy and squawky. That’s how I like it. It also describes what I had for dinner. What does that mean? It means nothing. I was called the rudest person on the face of the earth today. That’s an accomplishment. I didn’t even have to do anything to earn that one.
Next week, art-rock quintet Squid will embark on a North American tour in support of their acclaimed new album, Cowards, released in February via Warp Records. In anticipation, the band present a frenetic and driving new single, “The Hearth And Circle Round Fire,” an outtake recorded during the Cowards sessions.
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.”
Squid have long been praised for their expansive must-see live show. After their biggest UK show to date at 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 punched 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.
Purchase / Stream Cowards
Watch the video for “Cro-Magnon Man”
Watch the Video for “Crispy Skin”
Watch the Video for “Building 650”
Listen to “Cro-Magnon Man”
Squid Tour Dates
Sat. April 26 – London, UK @ Roundhouse
Wed. April 30 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall *
Thu. May 1 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
Sat. May 3 – San Jose, CA @ The Ritz *
Sun. May 4 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent *
Tue. May 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom *
Wed. May 7 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s *
Fri. May 9 – Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club *
Sat. May 10 – Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s *
Sun. May 11 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall *
Tue. May 13 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall *
Wed. May 14 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar *
Fri. May 16 – Detroit, MI @ El Club *
Sat. May 17 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House *
Mon. May 19 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall *
Tue. May 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts *
Wed. May 21 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
Fri. May 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw *
* = with FearDorian
