Following their signing to Warp Records and the release of singles "Sludge" and "Broadcaster" last year, UK post-punk leaning quintet Squid have finally announced their debut album. It's titled Bright Green Field and will be out May 7 (pre-order).
The album finds them working once again with producer Dan Carey (Fontaines DC, Black Midi, Kae Tempest) whose label Speedy Wunderground put out a few of Squid's previous releases, including the 2019 Town Centre EP. Alongside their abrasive, fluorescent sonic inclinations, Bright Green Field incorporates field recordings, from church bells to a distorted, 30-person choir, to a string ensemble featuring Emma-Jean Thackray and Lewis Evans of Black Country, New Road.
"The tracks illustrate the places, events, and architecture that exist within it," says frontman Ollie Judge. "Previous releases were playful and concerned with characters, whereas this album is darker and more concerned with the place — the emotional depth of the music has deepened."
Along with the album announcement comes first single "Narrator" which features Martha Skye Murphy. Martha's soft drawl (which later ascends into a siren call) creates a stark contrast to Ollie's brash, theatrical shouts, wherein he expresses his own undoing as the narrator of his own story, constructing a flawed version of reality that may lead to his own ruin.
The song was inspired by the 2019 film A Long Day's Journey Into Night. "The song follows a man who is losing the distinction between memory, dream, and reality and how you can often mold your memories of people to fit a narrative that benefits your ego," the band says. "Martha Skye-Murphy made the point that the unreliable narrator is, more often than not, a male who wishes to portray women as submissive characters in their story. After some discussions with Martha, she thought it'd be a good idea that she play the part of the woman wanting to break free from the dominating story the male has set."
Squid have also made a video for "Narrator" which was directed by Felix Green which incorporates 3D design and roving drone shots, focused on the band performing amidst a quickly growing and changing landscape, in addition to a few haunting night-vision close-ups. You can watch below.