Squid have given their new single ‘Crispy Skin‘ and a handful of unreleased tracks their live debut during a one-off intimate show in New York City.
The English art rock quintet – comprised of Ollie Judge, Louis Borlase, Arthur Leadbetter, Laurie Nankivell and Anton Pearson – took over DROM in New York City’s East Village last night (November 12) in celebration of the announcement of their forthcoming album ‘Cowards‘.
To kick off the night, the band treated fans to a performance of a new unreleased track titled ‘Building 650’. “You guys were the first people to ever hear that song,” Judge told the crowd.
. @squidbanduk opened up their set at NYC’s DROM last night with an unreleased song titled ‘Building 650’ from their upcoming album ‘Cowards’ pic.twitter.com/ASuoUhkNM0
— Anagricel (@itsanagricel) November 13, 2024
From there the band went on to play ‘Swing (In A Dream)’, ‘G.S.K’ and ‘Paddling’ before breaking out into another new and unreleased track titled ‘Cro-Magnon Man’. The song features an eerie beat with lyrics: “Predator and prey alive / Alert us when the numbers on the page divide / The petrol station sign… / Open every hour / All throughout the night”.
Towards the end of their set, Squid went on to give their new single ‘Crispy Skin’ its live debut. The track – which was partly inspired by the novel Tender Is The Flesh – sees Judge sing: “Am I the bad one? / Yep, yes I am / I couldn’t eat another thing / No more pages and pages of crispy skin,” taking on a tense and paranoid sound.
. @squidbanduk took over NYC’s DROM last night and performed their new unreleased track ‘Co-Magnon Man’ from their newly announced LP ‘Cowards’ (1/2) pic.twitter.com/xRBnIQ2pnL
— Anagricel (@itsanagricel) November 13, 2024
. @squidbanduk took over NYC’s DROM last night and performed their new unreleased track ‘Co-Magnon Man’ from their newly announced LP ‘Cowards’ (2/2) pic.twitter.com/XBXv0O1KBN
— Anagricel (@itsanagricel) November 13, 2024
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. @squidbanduk gave their new single ‘Crispy Skin’ it’s live debut last night at NYC’s DROM pic.twitter.com/iu77V0GOAY
— Anagricel (@itsanagricel) November 13, 2024
Squid’s setlist at NYC’s DROM on November 12 was:
‘Building 650’ (Full song debut)
‘Swing’ (in a Dream)
‘G.S.K.’
‘Paddling’
‘Cro-Magnon Man’ (Song debut)
‘Undergrowth’
‘Broadcaster’
‘Crispy Skin’ (Live debut)
‘Documentary Filmmaker’
‘Narrator’
‘The Blades’
Marking their third studio album, ‘Cowards’ is set for release on February 7, and explores nine stories where protagonists reckon with cults, charisma and apathy – with the band exploring the divide between right and wrong.
The LP is also set to see Squid push the boundaries of their sound, with the English art rock quintet exploring inspirations of folk, kosmische, psychedelia, jazz and electronics.
‘Cowards’ was recorded at Church Studios in Crouch End with Mercury Prize-winning producer Marta Salogni and Grace Banks. It also comes produced by Dan Carey, who also recorded the band’s first two albums.
Mixed in Seattle and mastered in New York, contributions to the record also come from Danish experimental songsmith Clarissa Connelly, composer, pianist and singer Tony Njoku, Rosa Brook from punk group Pozi, percussionist Zands Duggan, and Jonny Greenwood collaborators the Ruisi Quartet on violin, viola and cello.
“The range of sound allowed Squid to push out further, writing arrangements that build into crescendo before sheer drops into discrete melody,” reads a press release. “Fleeting voices in eerie rounds, evoke prehistoric song and nursery rhyme.” You can pre-order the album here
Elsewhere, Squid are set to embark on a tour across the UK early next year. The dates kick off in Liverpool on February 17, and continue throughout the month with shows in Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield and more.
From there, they’ll close off the tour with five shows across the country in March and April. These start with a slot at Lido in Margate, and culminate with a gig at the Roundhouse in London on April 26. Visit here for tickets.
In other Squid news, earlier this year the band announced that they had been forced to cancel upcoming tour dates, following a member of the band being involved in an accident.
Over the summer, the band played a series of shows across the UK, Europe and South America, including a set at Glastonbury 2024. They also played North America earlier this year to tour their second album, ‘O Monolith’, which was released in June 2023.
NME gave the album a four-star review, calling it “a monument to daring artistic growth” and saying: “If Squid can make daring, experimental music sound as fun as this, then they will take some stopping.”