Music

One to watch: Squid


It seems there’s a revival of the postpunk revival going on, given all the prominent basslines, scowled vocals and busy guitars leaping out of the indie labels. A slippery five-piece from Brighton called Squid are among its most active practitioners. Three packed-out shows at Glastonbury in June also established them as one of Britain’s most energetic new live guitar bands.

Things began more gently for Squid. Their first release in 2016 on Bandcamp was Perfect Teeth, a small-scale ambient epic in thrall to the soundscapes of Joy Division. An atmospheric EP, Lino, came out a year later, after which influential south London label Speedy Wunderground snapped them up. The Dial, a 2018 single, saw them getting much bolder and louder, siphoning the energy of early 00s groups such as the Rapture. The track’s lyrics, about a hospitalised loved one, matched that intensity: “Suck your blood,” yowls singing drummer Ollie Judge. “I want to check your levels.”

This year, Squid have all moved to London, released chaotic seven-minute funk single The Cleaner, while a new EP, Town Centre, arrives on Speedy Wunderground in September. The band are touring all summer too, with dates at the Green Man, Knee Deep and End of the Road festivals mixed around club gigs and European dates. Their recent description of their sound to NME is one to savour: “the Coronation Street theme tune played on flutes by angry children”.

Listen to The Cleaner by Squid.



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