Brighton post-punk band Squid have announced their signing to Warp Records, and they’ve also shared a new single called “Sludge,” which was produced by Speedy Wunderground wizard Dan Carey (whose production credits include Bloc Party, Kate Tempest, black midi and Fontaines D.C.). Paste recently featured Squid in our list of 15 British Acts You Need to Know in 2020, and we also named their 2019 EP, Town Centre, one of the best EPs of last year.
“Sludge” arose from a soundcheck while supporting post-punk legends Wire, and it’s an ever-morphing track with various colorful art-rock sideshows. Its perplexing keyboards mesh with drummer Ollie Judge’s trademark vocal squawks as the band enters spellbinding new territory. “I’m lying on my bed with celebrity chefs / But what do they know,” sings Judge with surreal humor over whirring guitars. It’s quite a paranoid track that bridges the gap between experimental post-punk and electro-shoegaze.
Listen to “Sludge” below, and check out their upcoming tour dates.
Squid Tour Dates:
April
14 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Amsterdam Arena with Foals
17 – Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Motel Mozaique
May
16 – Leicester, U.K. @ Wide Eyed
17 – Dublin, Ireland @ Eastbound
24 – Paris, France @ Villette Sonique
30 – Neustelitz, Germany @ Immergut Festival
June
03 – Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Sound
05 – London, U.K. @ Wide Awake Festival
12-14 – Bergen, Netherlands @ Best Kept Secret
12-14 – Helsinki, Finland @ Sideways Festival
July
01 – Roskilde, Germany @ Roskilde Festival
04 – Belfort, France @ Eurockeennes
22 – London, U.K. @ Scala (RESCHEDULED)
August
06 – Haldern Rees, Germany @ Haldern Pop
10 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Underdogs
12 – Hamburg, Germany @ Molotow Skybar
14 – Oya, Sweden @ Oya Festivalen
19-23 – Coura, Portugal @ Paredes de Coura
24 – Brighton, U.K. @ Chalk (RESCHEDULED)
September
01 – Bedford, U.K. @ Bedford Esquires (RESCHEDULED)
03 – Southampton, U.K. @ Joiners (RESCHEDULED)
03-06 – Salisbury, U.K. @ End of the Road Festival
08 – Birmingham, U.K. @ Castle and Falcon (RESCHEDULED)
09 – York, U.K. @ The Crescent (RESCHEDULED)
10 – Hebden Bridge, U.K. @ The Trades Club (RESCHEDULED)
12 – Manchester, U.K. @ The White Hotel (matinee) (RESCHEDULED)
12 – Manchester, U.K. @ The White Hotel (evening) (RESCHEDULED)
13 – Edinburgh, U.K. @ Summerhall (RESCHEDULED)
14 – Newcastle, U.K. @ The Cluny (RESCHEDULED)
16 – Norwich, U.K. @ Norwich Arts Centre (RESCHEDULED)
November
05 – Reykjavík, Iceland @ Iceland Airwaves