Squid – ‘O Monolith’ album review: an impressively layered display of maturity
Rising to prominence in 2019, Squid cemented themselves as an essential part of the UK’s blossoming post-punk scene, partly thanks to their impressive on-stage energy, buoyed by lead vocalist and drummer Ollie Judge’s intense, frenzied performance style. Their universally acclaimed debut album, Bright Green Field, hit number four on the UK Album Charts in 2021, and now they’re back with their second effort, O Monolith.
Their sophomore record, formulated during the post-lockdown gig period, is much darker and more cohesive than their previous effort, standing as their most accomplished collection of songs to date. According to Judge, “People were so looking forward to seeing live music that we thought we could just play anything, even if it was unfinished. In some form or another, we played about 80% of O Monolith, mostly without lyrics.”
Listening to O Monolith, it’s evident that the band have lent into experimentation more than ever before, unafraid to explore new time signatures, soft/loud dichotomies and more intense soundscapes. Although Squid’s new record is just eight tracks long, it’s far from lacking. Each song is intricately layered and acutely thought-out, with every instrument building on the other to evoke emotion. Occasionally, the songs teeter into monotonous territory, but for the most part, Squid demonstrated a newfound maturity and sense of identity.
The album’s opener ‘Swing (In A Dream)’ maintains a steady krautrock-inspired rhythm, complimented by Judge’s vocal harmonies. However, as electronics whir in and out, adding a greater sense of texture, the song picks up the pace with a sense of urgency before combusting into one great moody release. Similarly, on the next track, ‘Devil’s Den’, various instruments weave between each other before exploding into a rewarding cacophony.
Lyrically, like their previous effort, the album evokes feelings of isolation, nature and the mundanity of the every day, the latter reflected by repetitive rhythms employed to produce a sense of thematic and musical unity. Guitarist Louis Borlase explains: “There’s a running theme of the relation of people to the environment throughout. There are allusions to the world we became so immersed in, environmental emergency, the role of domesticity, and the displacement you feel when you’re away for a long time.”
The album is grounded in a deep, dark pastoral setting, with ‘Siphon Song’ – a standout track – utilising haunting melodies, synths and backing vocals that could soundtrack a modern folk horror movie. Electronically modulated vocals play over slow-building percussion before culminating in a fuzzy, ominous outburst.
A moment of respite is provided on ‘Undergrowth’, which is kept afloat by a funk-inspired bassline, which brightens up the underlying screeches. However, these menacing sounds come to fruition as avant-garde electronic sounds take prominence, with discordant jazz clashes puncturing the steady rhythm.
Martha Skye Murphy, who provided vocals on Bright Green Field’s ‘Narrator’, returns for ‘After the Flash’. Her voice is a welcome addition, adding a soft delicateness to the otherwise slow-yet-staccato song. Midway through, the song takes on an ecclesiastical quality before introducing more off-kilter sounds, such as saxophone, as Judge sings, “How hard can it be/ To live a normal life?”
The songs on O Monolith feel larger than anything Squid have ever done, but they are never overblown. The band prove themselves to be champions of reflecting the modern condition, preoccupied with uncertainty and the prevalence of domesticity. On the closing song, ‘If You Had Seen The Bull’s Swimming Attempts You Would Have Stayed Away’, anticipatory whispers, gorgeously smooth guitar riffs and rapturous backing vocals all swarm together to create a magnificent, almost dystopian ending.
The new record proves that Squid are more than just another band in the overpopulated post-punk revival landscape. O Monolith is considerably more developed than Bright Green Field, and their daring dip into a darker, heavier and more dynamic territory has paid off. At times the songs begin to sag under the weight of their intended repetition, and Judge’s occasional collapse into the comfort of his distinctive old singing habits can sometimes grate. Regardless, O Monolith is still an excellent album that demonstrates significant growth and experience.
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