With their eagerly-awaited new album landing in just a few weeks, Squid have now dropped the final cut to be lifted from their forthcoming full-length.
The new single 'The Blades' comes accompanied by a brilliant new video, directed by Kasper Häggström and starring British actress Charlotte Ritchie, and follows on from the previously shared tracks 'Undergrowth' and 'Swing (In A Dream)' in previewing their sophomore LP 'O Monolith', which is out on the 9th June via Warp Records.
Speaking about the new offering, singer Ollie Judge said, “It’s a lot more vulnerable than stuff we’ve previously done, which can be quite a daunting thing. Dan [Carey] and I were talking about vocal delivery and how it would be good to not completely let myself go, and not fall back on shouting because it’s more instantly gratifying. The end of the song is really soft and tender and I don’t think we’ve done something like that before. On the surface it’s a song about police brutality with the last section kind of inspired by The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, although I’ve never read the book, I’ve just seen The Simpsons’ spoof of it. Narratively it follows a police helicopter pilot's day, ending with him in bed hearing another pilot circling the skies as if he were taunting him. There’s a deeper meaning in there somewhere of my fear of ego, but I’m still working out which bit of the song that’s coming from.”
While Häggström added on his video, “At last we get to work together! Thank you for trusting in my idea and for presenting me with such a great track from your latest album. This concept is one I've been thinking of for a while now and it fits seamlessly with the track.”
Check out the new video for 'The Blades' in the player below.