O Monolith certainly has the potential to stand higher than Squid‘s previous work.
Squid’s sound could be thought of as an odd mix for the everyday ear – it’s prog, punk, jazz and funk with a bit of everything in between. But it all feels so well plotted that the confidence of the band themselves is ever-present in their discography.
In O Monolith, this is no different. The Brighton five piece radiate the same experimental restlessness we saw on their 2021 debut LP, Bright Green Field. The record was praised for its ‘exhilarating stretch of sound’ as well as the band’s distinct level of control. Finding out that O Monolith was recorded at Genesis’ Peter Gabriel’s Studio was no shock. I think a lot of people would argue that Squid are part of a future for progressive sound, if such a thing even exists nowadays.
The record’s first single, ‘Swing (In a Dream)’ – having done some reading – appears to be inspired by the Jean-Honoré Fragonard painting called ‘The Swing’. But the track’s instrumentals, in a lot of ways, totally diverge from the both serene and *cough* erotic feel of the painting. Its steadily beating drum paired with drummer/vocalist Ollie Judge’s rising melodies culminate in a flurry of distorted guitar and brass. It ends up sounding like a bad nightmare. But, like the painting, it’s also undeniably lush and is a captivating first single for the record.
Next up was ‘Devil’s Den’, an atypically shorter track for Squid. It adopts a slower, more serene ballad feel at first. But the band’s quintessentially sharp dynamics kick in soon after and really catch you off guard.
My favourite track on the record, ‘Siphon Song’, comes next. It starts mysterious with an uber-cool Daft Punk-style vocal and In Rainbows-style drums. The restrained guitars also add to this mystifying quality. Backing vocals, presumably the rest of the band, are introduced, mixed so that they almost float around inside your head. The track then evolves into something of a Godspeed You! Black Emperor feel in the last two minutes, with its nightmarish drone. It feels like a bizarre comparison but let’s run with it.
‘Undergrowth’ follows and is O Monolith‘s second single; it’s a really solid one at that and holds a real mundanity throughout, the chorus repeating “Ergonomics for the rest of my days/I’d rather melt…”. Underpinning this is a contrasting funkiness, a real pulse. The drawn-out ending is a highlight on the record for me, mainly due to its hypnotic synth work.
The prominence of the electronics is something far more eminent in each track than on Bright Green Field. It’s unsurprising to see given their label, Sheffield’s own Warp Records, and its links to those influential acts like Autechre, Boards of Canada and Aphex Twin.
I admittedly have a little less to say about side B, but I don’t think it’s necessarily any weaker than the first half of the LP. ‘The Blades’ keeps up the pace of the record well with a great display of the band’s tightness. It also makes for an interesting listen when you hear tiny little details ringing at the very back of your mind. It demonstrates the quality of Dan Carey’s production, one that invites you back for re-listens.
The next tune, ‘After the Flash’, continues the motif of building up to a frenzied climax. Judge cuts through this with his classically fired-up register. The tracks distorted, marching riff almost sounds like something off of Black Midi’s Schlagenheim too.
The absolute same can be said for ‘Green Light’. I can easily imagine these kinds of tracks going down well in mid-June when I see Squid at The Foundry in Sheffield. ‘Green Light’ will certainly get everyone bouncing with its frenetic dynamics and tempos.
The record finishes with a Dry Cleaning-esque bassline on ‘If you had seen the bull’s swimming attempts you would have stayed away’. It brings back the mundane feel found earlier in the record. We also get some chorals backing the track too, which adds a nice contrast to Judge’s snappy delivery. The track comes to an abrupt closure, and that’s O Monolith.
Overall, while the record felt simply like build-up after build-up at times, I was all ears. This time round – where some of Bright Green Field felt like prioritising the dynamics of Judge’s voice in the mix – O Monolith truly felt like a record displaying what the band can do as one. The vocals are mixed like an instrument within the band, not a forefront. I think this stronger appreciation of what the band can achieve with some strings, keys and brass has made O Monolith something I’ll return to for a while.
Rating: 7/10