Squid have released a short film made in response to their latest album, ‘O Monolith’.
Speaking on the project, director Ivana Bobic says: “I read that the band had been inspired by Paul Wright’s Arcadia (“A folk horror wrapped up in an archive film”) — an influence that has haunted my work for years. I loved the subversion of nostalgia, especially in the context of the English pastoral. And I was also very interested in how the film explored dance.
“I worked with choreographer/ performer Ted Rogers (currently Tracey Emin’s Performance Artist in Residence). Both of us had formative experiences in rave and club culture and wanted to channel that yearning for the ecstatic experience. Taking notes from Mark Leckey’s Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore, we explored the idea of rave and ritual morphing together against a brooding, ambivalent Kentish backdrop. This felt like a way of bringing together the ancient and modern.
“The piece expresses O Monolith as a whole — the music is so rich in ideas with huge highs and lows and, at the same time, is so abstract. It needed a different approach from a traditional music video. We wanted it to feel like a journey through the album so we decided to convey the breadth of emotions and moods rather than specific songs (although you do get glimmers of a sync performance with After the Flash).”
Check out the short film below.
Released earlier this year, the new full-length will also see the band touring the UK with a run that kicks off on 13th October at Bristol’s SWX. Catch them live at the following:
OCTOBER
13 SWX, Bristol, UK
14 SWX, Bristol, UK
16 Town Hall, Birmingham, UK
17 O2 Academy Leeds, Leeds, UK
18 New Century, Manchester, UK
19 YES, Manchester, UK
20 Gan Yam Brewery, Kendal, UK
21 Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, UK
22 Boiler Shop, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
24 Mandela Hall, Belfast, NI
25 Vicar Street, Dublin, IE
NOVEMBER
01 Troxy, London, UK
