Squid's new album 'Cowards' is about evil. Nine stories whose protagonists reckon with cults, charisma and apathy. Real and imagined characters wading into the dark ocean between right and wrong.
'Cowards' is Squid's bravest album yet: it simultaneously grows in scope and returns to basics. The band recorded 'Cowards' at Church Studios in Crouch End with Mercury Prize-winning producers Marta Salogni and Grace Banks. Production was also handled by their long-time shifu and collaborator Dan Carey, who recorded the band's first two albums. The record was mixed in Seattle by John McEntire (Tortoise) before being compressed by the rich analogue chain of Heba Kadry's mastering in Brooklyn, New York.
Squid have come a long way since forming in 2016 as an instrumental jazz band for a monthly night in Brighton. Their debut album, Bright Green Field (2021), was released as the world began to reopen after the pandemic, and they made it into the top 5 of the UK charts. In 2023 they released their second album, the brooding O Monolith, which took the band all over the world and broke new ground that seemed barely possible years before. Both albums managed to place in the top 100 here.
