Squid - Cowards
On Cowards, the English band continues to experiment with post-punk melodies and parallels the world's problems with the cost of human life. This is their strongest album yet.
Squid came out of nowhere in 2021, with their amusing debut Bright Green Field. At that point and later, they never sounded menacingly. But taking inspiration from Asian horror culture and true crime stories, the Bristol-based band builds its own dystopia in the modern world.
The album starts with “Crispy Skin”, a perfect lead single which sets the listener up for the next 45 minutes of mind-blowing chaos. Inspired by novel Tender Is the Flesh, the track normalizes cannibalism as a part of social life and the main vocalist of the band, Ollie Judge, takes on the role of the villain for the first of many times during his storytelling throughout the record. It is a curious anomaly: it’s like you’re listening to a story from the evil itself, but the sparkling instrumental makes your body move.
This isn't the first time you'll find yourself at a party in hell. “Cro-Magnum Man” may seem like a song that Squid did before: it is filled with breakneck synth melodies, piano cuts and multi-layered vocal harmonies, while the repetitive lyrics will make you think about how much harm you have done to this world and whether it is too late to fix everything you’ve done wrong. It is quite a terrifying experience, considering that the bridge of the song may feel like a children's counting rhyme from a horror movie.
The narration makes a perfect match with vocal delivery on Cowards. Ollie’s moaning, half-screaming voice fits perfectly on an album with such a strong message. Some songs on here feel like a fever dream: take “Fieldworks”, divided into two parts, a dark story of a man lost in the middle of nowhere, while the title track is a gorgeous, elaborate opus about world pollution.
“Showtime!” and “Well Met (Fingers Through the Fence)” may seem as the most exciting parts of the record. The first track burns out slowly, abruptly turning into a synthesizer cacophony: for a second, I thought I was playing a video game and this was a fight with a final boss. “Here Judge” sounds as if he is mocking you, knowing that you will not be able to win. The final track, surprisingly, starts off chill and quiet. Paying tribute to Joanna Newsom’s iconic Ys, “Well Met (Fingers Through the Fence)” closes Cowards in a perfect way: here meet the sound of a spinning wheel, horns, synths, deep basslines and female vocals so smooth and airy that you may feel as a medieval story character. It is a rare recording that contains such a variety of instruments and production choices. This is a diverse, yet cohesive album.
Intriguing yet sinister, Cowards shows Squid in its finest form. It is not a friendly record, but not threatening either. This type of dissonance could have turned into a failure, but in the end it played into Squid’s hands perfectly, making this album a unique experience. Having only nine songs in total, with each listening it will open up to you from different sides, depending on your current state of mind. Don’t be a coward, face your faith.
9.1/10