2021 was the year of British 'post-punk' / experimental rock / whatever you want to call it, with a heaping helping of great records from the scene. We got Black Country, New Road's For the first time, Idles' Crawler, Black Midi's Cavalcade, Shame's Drunk Tank Pink, Low's Hey What, Viagra Boys' Welfare Jazz, Horsey's Debonair, Dry Cleaning's A New Long Leg -and of course Squid's fantastic debut Bright Green Field.
This album marked a decidedly fresh take on the genre we were hearing oh so much of, with the lead singer (and drummer)'s bombastic delivery over the top of the amazingly layered guitar-based instrumentals - that flowed from peaceful and beautiful to groovy and sometimes abrasive. An awesome album. Multiple classic tunes on it - one for the ages.
Fast forward to the present, it's 2023 and Squid just released their sophomore album O Monolith. What's in store? How does one of the most creative bands in the UK follow up their essential debut? A big old left hook - that's how.
On this album, Squid have done away with the bombastic vocal delivery, the danceable grooves (mostly) and the riff-centred songwriting in favour of a much more progressive approach. More electronics, spoken word lyrics and generally grindier song structures may scare away fans of the band's early work and that's understandable. This is a very different take on their work, however I think those fans with patience will find this a very rewarding listen.
Take the intro track 'Swing (In A Dream)' for example. An incredibly linear song, with a very tension-building intro, featuring a solid minute before we hear any vocals. Whilst long intros and instrumental passages is nothing new for the band, the sound palette here feels different to any ground they've covered before. A beautifully video game-esque synth line starts the tune off before fading into the background and making way for some trance-inducing guitars and bass lines. The song also has an awesome instrumental break at the end, bringing in some brass and distorted guitars/synths for a chaotic ending to the song.
My personal favourite song on here comes in the form of 'The Blades'. With percussion on the intro from another dimension (without a traditional drum set in sight), this tune exemplifies everything the band do best with their off-beat riffs, multitudes of instruments and a total rollercoaster of emotions. The song has beautiful chilled out guitars as well as heavy, dramatic sections. The band have an amazing ability to use loud and quiet dynamics in ways that feel so fresh.
It's certainly a challenging record which clearly has no desire to be catchy or accessible, but absolutely a feat of musicianship in every department - from its multi-phased and multifaceted instrumentals to it's excellent production. They continue to be one of the UK's most creative bands.
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