“Things tend to bore us rather quickly,” notes Laurie Nankivell of Squid about three minutes into our discussion. It wasn't anything specific we mentioned. CLASH is exploring the band's progression from one project to the next; moving from the vibrant, math-influenced urgency of their early EPs to the assertive yet well-defined experimentalism of their debut album, ‘Bright Green Field’, and its ambitious follow-up, ‘O Monolith’. As children of the internet who released their first two studio albums during the pandemic, Squid could be seen as having short attention spans; however, their new LP ‘Cowards’ demonstrates that this trait might actually be beneficial.
“We essentially took our time off from touring and started from scratch,” observes bandmate Louis Borlase. “We decided we would have an album ready by the end of this period. So, we did some daring things, like booking studios and producers before the songs were finished or even written, which was quite daunting... we really had to take some leaps of faith!”
If the journey to their third album signifies confidence in one another—and in their individual talents—that confidence seems warranted. For some time now, Squid has been recognized as One Of The Hardest Working Bands In Showbiz, taking their intricate rhythmic shifts to stages around the world. ‘Cowards’ allows them to embrace this; from start to finish, it feels intentional and purposeful.
“We transitioned from an intense year of touring directly into music-making – we committed six months to it. It felt vital,” explains guitarist Anton Pearson. “There were no barriers to our creative flow.”
“This album feels more focused for me,” Louis adds. “In terms of its scope and style, it’s quite broad – in its direction and intent, for sure. Yet, we feel particularly focused within that. I believe we’ve achieved significant cohesion among the various influences present in our music.”
By setting aside specific times to work and approaching the creative process from a structured viewpoint, it seems to reflect in the music – ‘Cowards’ sheds the heavier aspects of its predecessor, opting instead for a more streamlined approach. To establish the initial foundation of ideas, however, Squid permitted themselves to indulge extensively in creativity—the more ideas, the better, when it came to demos. “It’s really a creative process,” says Anton. “We just come together in a room, and anything we find interesting or exciting we keep; anything we don’t, we simply set aside.”
“We recognized that another challenge was condensing our material into a single disc. We wanted it to be a standalone album,” Laurie adds.
The album may represent a more accurate reflection of a Squid live performance than some of their earlier work, filled with clever ideas, precise changes in direction, and a typical assortment of lyrical (and possibly musical) surrealism. At one point, a flugelhorn cuts through the sound—recorded by Laurie’s father's friend, for those interested—while Arthur Leadbetter spent time compiling samples from his father’s collection of Medieval instruments.
“It’s something I’ve been doing for a while,” he explains. “I’m unsure how long these instruments will be available. They’ve been a part of my musical journey for quite some time, so I thought it would be nice to create some sampled instruments from them, layering and mixing them with synthesizers.”
If this approach seems delicate and almost intricate, you would be correct—yet Arthur is also captivated by the effectiveness of first take demos. “I firmly believe that demos often capture the best versions of almost everything,” he laughs. “But therein lies the issue. There have been past moments with demos where I’ve gone back, listened, and exclaimed: that’s the answer! It’s already there! We’ve achieved it, and it truly worked!”
Despite its immediate quality, ‘Cowards’ is not primarily a first take. Nor is it mainly a second take. Working from Church studios in Crouch End, the band would cycle in from different parts of London, putting in long hours before ordering pizza, listening to the day’s outcomes, and then heading home. Idyllic in certain aspects; surprisingly laborious in others.
“We needed to know what we were doing and prepare for the studio sessions,” Arthur notes. “We had to be present nearly every day, putting in hard work and rehearsing... so we were tight by the time we hit the studio. Practically speaking, we needed to stay focused.”
With bright, airy rooms and ample natural light, you can discern traces of that Church studio atmosphere in the final product. Old friend and frequent collaborator Dan Carey returned to “add some flavor” to it, joining the process later on. His “objectivity,” as emphasized by drummer and vocalist Ollie Judge, is “beneficial… when everything comprises this intricate assembly of parts, he’s adept at identifying one idea that can stand out among the rest.”
As Anton describes, the
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"We tend to become bored with things fairly quickly," notes Squid’s Laurie Nankivell around three minutes into our discussion. Was it something we mentioned? Not really.