Back with a new album, SQUID’s ‘O Monolith’ is a natural evolution in sound and style.
Words: Finlay Holden.
Photos: Alex Kurunis.
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Delivering a debut album in the middle of a pandemic probably isn’t how they expected things to go, but Squid managed to establish themselves as raw and gritty experimentalists and have kept their peculiar train at high speed – not fazed for a second they’re now about to pull in at the second stop, ‘O Monolith’.
“We finished ‘Bright Green Field’ as lockdown was starting, and the whole of ‘O Monolith’ was written and recorded during lockdown as well,” bassist and brass-ist Laurie Nankivell begins, spinning a tale of not one but now two albums impacted by feelings of isolation. However, never ones to let circumstances get them down, Squid were able to turn their worst enemy into a disgruntled friend.
Remember when gigs were sort of allowed, but not really? That brief period gave the five-piece the opportunity to bring the creative process to the stage. “In May 2021, we did a seated tour called Fieldworks, which predominantly consisted of new music,” the multi-instrumentali…
