London art-rockers Squid haven’t released any new music since last May’s “Broadcaster”, but we’ve known they’ve been in the studio concocting their debut album. Today they’ve spilled the beans: it’s called Bright Green Field and will come out on May 7 through Warp. They’ve also shared a new single from it called “Narrator”, saying:
“Narrator was inspired by the 2019 film A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, the song follows a man who is losing the distinction between memory, dream and reality and how you can often mould your memories of people to fit a narrative that benefits your ego. Martha Skye Murphy, the track’s guest vocalist, made the point that the unreliable narrator is, more often than not, a male who wishes to portray women as submissive characters in their story. After some discussions with Martha she thought it’d be a good idea that she play the part of the woman wanting to break free from the dominating story the male has set.”
Squid’s music has long sounded like a bunch of guys on the verge of a total nervous breakdown, so for them to lean fully into that character on “Narrator” is a natural fit. Doubling down on the mania, they spread themselves across eight minutes of highly-strung rock, which vacillates between visceral urgency and periods of unspooling calm. Martha Skye Murphy’s silken vocals are the perfect counter to Ollie Judge’s paranoid yelps, and the tension zips between them across Squid’s crackling soundscape with electrifying effect, which keeps you hooked in from start to finish.
The video for “Narrator” was created with Felix Green, who says “I had wanted to make a video about the virtual creation process for some time…. I often think this “behind the digital curtain” part of 3D design looks more interesting than the final finished product since it conveys a process and an authorship. When I was approached to pitch on Squid’s single Narrator i immediately thought it could be the perfect match for this very visual idea.“
Watch it below or listen to “Narrator” on streaming platforms.
Squid’s debut album Bright Green Field comes out on May 7 through Warp (pre-order). You can find the band on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
