Squid albums

2023

O Monolith - 85%

Squid are a band that are not tied to anyone kind of music or genre, where the closest you could call them is a sort of progressive rock. But really, they are just a group of musicians that dare to make original music that doesn’t really adhere to any conventions, as shown on their debut record that was very hard to embrace fully. On this album, they get a bit more accessible, though none of this is exactly music that would make it to modern radio airplay. Opening track “Swing” seem to sell this sound right off the bat, while lead singer Ollie Judge rambles about ‘living inside the dream’ and the song seems to change form several times.

Unpredictability seems to be the bands stock in trade, continued whispered mysteries over abstract noises on “Devil’s Den”, the histrionics of the album stand out “The Blades” , the bouncy danceable trippiness of “Undergrowth” . It all comes together on “After the Flash” as some kind of bizarre crescendo, as the band’s future only seems to be more insane and confused. I would compare Squid to other bands as I tend to do in the reviews…but I cant think of any other comparison for their take on rock music. At first I hated this…..eventually I loved it….and That is probably the biggest compliment I can give this album.

Best Songs: The Blades, Devil’s Den, After the Flash