Squid share new single ‘Fugue (Bin Song)’
Following the release of their sophomore record, O Monolith, last year, Brighton-born post-punk purveyors Squid have unveiled a new track that didn’t quite make the cut. A staple in their live set, ‘Fugue (Bin Song)’ has already amassed a cult following and is now available as a studio recording.
With just one listen, it’s difficult to understand why Squid would omit ‘Fugue’ from their second full-length offering. Recorded alongside the rest of the album with Speedy Wunderground manager and coveted producer Dan Carey, the track is a further demonstration of their maturing sound, sprawling and simmering with all the inimitable energy of their live presence.
A lengthy introduction sets the song into motion, filling out tentative strums into intricate angularity and rising wails, eventually bursting into life with the addition of Ollie Judge’s drums. Even when it reaches full capacity, Squid take their time, allowing themselves to trail far past the one-minute mark, showing off their instrumental prowess at every opportunity.
This mastery only heightens as Judge vehemently proves that he’s just as talented a vocalist as he is a drummer. His familiar delivery veers between playful and intentional with ease as the instrumentation molds around him. “I’m not yet upset,” he promises us, “but I might be soon.”
As Judge’s declarations gather intensity, so too do the sounds that surround them. “Carry me up the hill,” he begs, and the instrumentation seems desperate to get him there. The guitars begin to take on a screeching quality, while the drums press and push forward, only culminating with Judge’s defiant statement: “Don’t feed me with your false ideas of how things could be.”
Squid’s decision not to include ‘Fugue’ on their sophomore offering could be seen as a misstep, but its release as a standalone single really allows it the space it deserves. Full of intent and intensity, it’s sonic celestial graffiti.
Listen to ‘Fugue (Bin Song)’, the new single from Squid, below.
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