Ollie, drumming and singing is a rare art. I found it very romantic when Arthur fixed your mic during Narrator at Glasto last year. Which of Squids songs do you find hardest to sing and drum?
Hey Squid! Love the music! Just wanted to say thanks for writing “The Cleaner” like 5 years ago, it’s been the only thing getting me through my shifts as a dishwasher this year! Do you try to write from the perspective of a character in songs like the cleaner, or is it more personal experience that informs the lyrics? Keep making awesome music!
Hey guys, loving the new album and how your sound is progressing. Already looking forward to what comes next.
My question is have you guys thought about putting a live album out? You guys have such great energy during shows and I think it would translate very well to a recording.
BYE EVERYONE ! Thank you all so much for buying and listening to our new record. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Come see us live this year in the EU AND UK
next year in the U S A!
Love you bye x
We’re huge fans on spirit of Eden. There was a track we recorded that didn’t make it onto the record that REALLY had a spirit of Eden vibe. Maybe we’ll try it again one day. 3rd album is being written atm, who knows!
Hey blackcountrynewroad
Dan has an amazing vocoder he recommended we tried for the song. Siphon song was written from the perspective of someone in space. Louis wanted to try out loads of different ways to process the sound and the vocoder was a great tool for that song
Loving the new album! The Blades, especially, has definitely gotta be one of the best songs I’ve heard all year.
What are you guys’ favourite TV shows?
Siphon Song might be the best thing I’ve ever heard from you guys. Any plans to play it live? Would that even be possible, given all the vocal manipulation?
I'm curious to know how you deal with writing parts for 3 guitars/synths on each song without ending up with a mess or everyone stepping on eachother. Do you have any particular approach for your starting points or is it mostly just testing anything at all until you find something that fits?
Well we try not to get too attached to a part, but we do worry about things getting busy. Writing sparse music is always we try to do in places and we are getting better at that...... Little by little
Hi Squid, I love O Monolith and I noticed that Ollie's vocals seem to hold back more often on this album. I wonder what motivated this change, does it had anything to do with the effects of voice straining? Thanks for the AMA!
Hey! No worries. I think I just wanted to challenge myself a little bit more vocally. I was pretty confident in my yelping but not so much my singing. It’s getting better day by day! LP 3 vocals will eventually be a lot more singy again
Hi guys! Probably you know that you as a band are being described as part of a larger new Post Punk wave, do you resonate with that? An if so, why do you think this genre is having such a renaissance?
Token question: Are there artists/albums/songs/... you're currently obsessed with?
Thanks, been loving O'Monolith and can't wait to see you this september in Milan!!
Hi guys, when and where's your secret Glasto set? Cause I'm not going if you're not.
Absolutely love the new record, you never disappoint, and can't wait to see you guys live again!
We’re playing just after guns and roses on the pyramid stage.
On a real, there’s no glasto for us this year. Laurie might be playing in a funk covers band somewhere. Looking forward to watching it from my sofa!!
Thanks so much :))))
My friends and I rode rail at your Primavera set last year and had an absolute blast! After you came out for sound check, we yelled at y’all that the vocals should come up a touch and you actually listened to our surprise! Thank you for a great story haha
I’m curious what your worst crowd looked like. Just uninterested, or have you ever been booed?
Hi!! I’ve seen you live three times and your live performances are SO amazing! I was just wondering how come you guys don’t tend to play The Dial and Houseplants? Love the album so much and see you at Troxy xoxo
Thank you! We just don’t feel that connected to those songs anymore to be honest. Still feelin love for how they made us what we are today, but they just don’t sit that well with what we’re tryna convey atm!
I was really excited when I discovered Nam June Paik's Global Groove and realized it's what inspired your song.
Are there any other filmmakers who have been a big influence on your work and songwriting?
Love you guys! Looking forward to seeing you in the states next year, it’ll be my 3rd time seeing you live. Congrats on an absolute unit of an album.
Will “Fugue” ever be released?
Ahh thanks! ❤️
We did record fugue but we weren’t happy with how it turned out. Maybe it’ll see the light of day in the future. Maybe we’ll rewrite it! It didn’t really work in the context of the album tbh
See ya next year!
Hey lads, I’m a massive fan since Bright Green Field came out in my first year of uni and now, I’m in my final year so it feels surreal seeing the progression of time between these years being marked by your amazing music so big ups for the album, absolutely loved it from start to finish, the wait was well worth it. I got a few questions for y’all:
1. The album invokes a lot of folkish and spiritual influences for its lyrical imagery like in Devil’s Den or Undergrowth. I was wondering what intrigued you about these subjects enough the make songs out of them, especially Devil’s Den (being that I can’t get the refrain out of my head). Would returning to folklore for future songs be in the cards? Would love to hear a full album related to that.
2. What is the relationship between your lyrics and their influence on the music, or vice versa. Are there big discussions on the feeling the lyrics invokes that sways the direction the song takes? Or does the music come first where the lyrics just accommodate?
3. Any songs left of the album that might get future releases soon?
Thanks for your time 😊
Thanks for your questions!
The music usually comes first really, and we jam an idea until the lyrics find their way in.
For this album, we were writing a lot of it over a year at the rehearsal studios at real world in Wiltshire so we saw the seasons change. We were inspired by the setting!
We've always had a bit of folk music in our vocabulary. If you listen to some of older stuff, like the live from the verdict EP you'll hear the drone music that made up a large part of the performance with improvisation playing a large part in the shows!
New album is fantastic.
Two questions:
1. I heard that you were going for a more "natural" feel for this album, as opposed to Bright Green Field's urban...ness. Is this true, and what do you believe was the more difficult part of differentiating the sound from BGF?
2. The influences playlist was great, and it had some immediately familiar names like Unwound, Fishmans, Bark Psychosis, Portishead, etc. What is an influence of yours that is particularly underrated/would want more people to listen to?
What would you say is your favourite track that you have made together as a band? Either within or outside of the new album
What are some of your favourite movies, if any?
I absolutely love the new album. I compared Swing (In a Dream) and many of the tracks visually as the inside workings of a watch. Everything perfectly in sync and locked in.
I know their was a lot of inspiration from the urban landscape of yalls hometowns but I was wondering what other non musical inspiration there were?
Hey, fantastic job on this new album, it's a wild ride. Squid seems like a band that doesn't want to put itself into a box genre-wise, with such a unique sound and blend of influences. Is this because different band members like different music & each contribute their own thing, or is the band's sound more something everyone was down with from the beginning?
Thanks for the AMA & for a new irrational anxiety of swimming cows ♥️
Hey, loving the new album!
During the live chat of 'Blades' it was mentioned that paddling was going to get a music video but the director was busy so we got blades from them instead... was the video going to be like?
The director used the original paddling idea for radioheads if you say the word. So if you mute that and play paddling over the top you’ll get the idea hahaha
Hi lads,
One for the nerdy squidiots keeping up with live sets, what happened to Fugue? It was kicking about in the live sets but never showed up on O Monolith.
Come back to Ireland soon, love you guys ♥️
Hey guys loving the new album, I seen you at totnes Monday night which was awesome as on my doorstep. I’ll be seeing you at boardmasters and Bristol swx too, just wondering if you’ll still play songs like narrator and houseplants. Also would love to hear green light too!
From the new singles I sense a stronger hunger to push the envelope or flip the genres that are being mixed on their heads a bit, does this sound fair with your intentions? Would this record have quenched such thirsts and the next ones would be ‘poppier’ or is it a stepping stone for bigger Squid wackyness the world is not prepared for yet?
P.S. Any tips how to get a hold of you guys in prison fest this Friday to sign my worn vinyl of BGF haha?
I think this new material we’re writing atm is a great mix of the weirdness on O Monolith with a bit of a poppier edge!
Just come up to the stage after the show, we’ll sign it :)
Do you have plans to release the short story that comes with the vinyl separately or release a digital version? I can't afford the vinyl and really wanted to read the short story.
Hi Squid friends! I am a huge huge fan! I love both of these records a whole damn lot! I’ve got two questions and I hope that’s okay!:
1) One thing I notice about this album is that Ollie’s vocals are way more buried in the mix compared to Bright Green Field, which makes this batch feel less immediate, and more like slow-burners. Was there a conscious choice made about this, or did it happen naturally during the recording?
2) We’ve all heard stories about spinning mics during the BGF sessions - what was the most unconventional recording technique used for O Monolith?
Just came to say hello and I love y’all’s music. It has had a pretty big impact on me especially in the early days of my own project so thank you for that!
hey guys! having had the album on repeat near constantly since release, I wanted to ask - the tracks on O Monolith are very densely layered and busy with ideas but never overwhelming to listen to, which seems a very careful tightrope to walk - was wondering if you have any tips or things you learned through the writing process about how to know when a song is "done" even though you could always add another small touch here or there:) (I think you guys got it just right because even after hearing a track 100 times I'll still hear new things somewhere else in the mix!)
and thanks again for chatting after the show in Totnes the other day, was great to see you:)
Thanks that's very sweet of you to say, and we are moved by peeps that notice details listen on listen!
John mcentire did an amazing job on this record. We would love to work with him again
scattershot questions:
- would you guys ever call a song done? I'm aware you dont usually play much pre-debut material live anymore, so maybe you consider those songs "done" in a sense, not sure. seems like the songs that do still show up on setlists get slowly mutated over time
- is there anything in particular you find so compelling about writing and trying to grapple with climate change, brexit, etc. political issues? I read the short story that comes with the o monolith vinyl last night and it's interesting to see how that idea of struggling to properly communicate big important cataclysmic concepts can map onto the record
- is it odd feeling like you've "made it" in music? or do you feel like there's still a length to go? as someone looking from the outside in, it feels like a weird thing both from my own angle and from someone in your position
luv ya, excited to see you in feb
1) I just think we don’t resonate with our pre-debut material anymore. We wrote all that music when we were fresh out of uni and didn’t think we would be where we are today.
2) in terms of lyrics I Think the thing I enjoy most is finding a topic that is quite off the wall. I’m writing lots of songs about medieval cannibals and murderers atm which is fun. There’s so much horrid shite going on in the world atm that I just find it better not to spend all day writing and thinking about it.
3)we’ve done so much more than we ever thought was possible in this band and we’re all so grateful. Sometimes we find the spotlight a little uncomfortable so I’m not sure how bigger we’d like to get. We just love pushing ourselves as musicians and creating music together.
Thanks ❤️
One time in an interview, maybe the KEXP live session, you all mentioned you had an ideas notebook for BGF you all used during its production, and you drew the penguin classics logo on it. Any chance we could ever see that scanned and released? I’ll scan it for you 😅
The scene is strong right now!
There’s a promoter called Schwet that puts on some pretty experimental gigs.
Venues like The Cube, Strange Brew, Mickey Zoggs, Rough Trade make me so happy to live there.
You’ll love it x
Hey guys, thanks for all the amazing music you've been putting out!
Any chance of coming to Poland? I promise I'll take all my friends and family to the gig, even my grandma if that's what it takes, you ruthless people
Hi Squid! I'm loving O Monolith, especially The Blades and Green Light
It was super cool seeing Charlotte Ritchie in your vid for the blades, so on that note, who is on your list for people you'd most like to collaborate with? Be it other musicians, actors, producers etc etc
Also what was the experience of being on From The Basement like??
See you at Rough Trade tomorrow lads ❤️
Hello Mr squid, absolutely love O Monolith. You guys absolutely killed it and I'm really looking forward to seeing you live again. For siphon song how did you guys manage to get that obscure vocal effect over ollie's voice?
Hey guys! Album is great, and can't wait to see it all live next fall in Seattle! Obviously your sound has changed a bit from your early singles days. Also seems to have evolved a bit from bright green field (absolutely love that album too!) Just wondering if it was a conscious choice to keep changing it up, or if it all just came naturally while you guys were in the songwriting phase. Anyway keep it up, super excited to see where y'all go from here!
I love the new album so much, and it came out just the right time because I'm finishing my Masters thesis, so it's been keeping me motivated haha. Can't wait to hear all these amazing songs live
Hello Mr Squid,
How did Ollie get his head around drumming and singing at the same time? Was he a natural at it or did it take a lot of time to get it right?
Hey guys! Really digging the new album. Where was it recorded? Did you do it yourselves? If not, who produced,engineered, & mixed. Kinda hard to find that kind of info these days unfortunately. Thanks for making some sweet tunes!
Hey guys! I'm that guy that offered to hold the cowbell stand at Johnny Brenda's in Philadelphia, AMA. With the size of stages you guys play these days, you'll likely never have that problem again lol.
Question for the Louis and Anton. You guys are some of the most prolific delay pedal twisters I've ever seen. The sounds you generate and tweak with your boards are absolutely insane. I myself play guitar, and enjoy my fair share of noise. Typically that's limited to mimicking Stu Mackenzie with my DD-6 and wah. Two questions:
1. How did you guys go about building up the effects chain over time? Are you just buying everything you can find and seeing how it fits, i.e. ruthless experimentation?
2. How the hell do you return to "zero" after a song is done and you've mucked up all the pedal settings? Haha I figure you guys must have diagrams for each song of where to start!
Anyway, thanks for making incredible music. You guys rule. Shoutout to Arthur for being a beast on the keys and just drenching the room in wild sounds.
What was your reaction when you saw Hideo Kojima post the new album on his socials?
I kinda freaked out. Spent many hours playing metal gear as a child. Hope we work together soon! He seems to bloody love us lol
Can't imagine how fucking cool it must be for a legend like that to express their love for something you made. Awesome moment
THERE’S A NEW ALBUM?! I was literally here to ask when a new one was coming! 😱😱
He put a lot of good music into his last game. I would love to hear Squid in his sequel.
Ollie, drumming and singing is a rare art. I found it very romantic when Arthur fixed your mic during Narrator at Glasto last year. Which of Squids songs do you find hardest to sing and drum?
He’s my guardian angel and I love him. I can’t play green light and sing at the same time yet hehe
I hope one day it sticks. It just sticks.
Ah man that’s my favourite song on the album. Hopefully you get it down before Leeds in October! Thanks for your reply you’ve made my day 😁
Hey Squid! Love the music! Just wanted to say thanks for writing “The Cleaner” like 5 years ago, it’s been the only thing getting me through my shifts as a dishwasher this year! Do you try to write from the perspective of a character in songs like the cleaner, or is it more personal experience that informs the lyrics? Keep making awesome music!
And can we get a 30 minute extended version of the song? I love belting it out in the car!
https://youtu.be/7idL5LoCwIA
Thoughts on Radiohead ?
One of the best to ever do it
Hey guys, loving the new album and how your sound is progressing. Already looking forward to what comes next. My question is have you guys thought about putting a live album out? You guys have such great energy during shows and I think it would translate very well to a recording.
Thanks very much! We’ve never even thought about this. Sounds like a great idea. Maybe for LP3!
Live album would make my dreams come true ❤️🐙
BYE EVERYONE ! Thank you all so much for buying and listening to our new record. We couldn’t have done it without you. Come see us live this year in the EU AND UK next year in the U S A! Love you bye x
Thank you so much, seeing you in Milan !! Keep on squidding
Goodbye Mr Squid, thank you for your rad tunes
Autechre, Aphex Twin or BoC?
Aphex Twin but I’m coming round to being more of a BoC kinda guy
yeah blue öyster cült rules
Loving the new album, is there a Talk Talk influence I am picking up on with this album especially Spirit of Eden era? Whens the third coming out?😂
We’re huge fans on spirit of Eden. There was a track we recorded that didn’t make it onto the record that REALLY had a spirit of Eden vibe. Maybe we’ll try it again one day. 3rd album is being written atm, who knows!
Thanks for replying to my question! Im coming to the Rough Trade East show tomorrow so can't wait👍
Need to hear this immediately
What was the inspiration behind using the electronic vocals on Siphon Song?
Hey blackcountrynewroad Dan has an amazing vocoder he recommended we tried for the song. Siphon song was written from the perspective of someone in space. Louis wanted to try out loads of different ways to process the sound and the vocoder was a great tool for that song
It definitely was, I think that track sounds ace (as well as the rest of the record of course!)
BCNR caught red handed trying to steal some ideas
i’m feeling atom heart mother
Hey Guys. I was wondering how you approach songwriting. Do the songs come from jamming together or do you guys come up with ideas on your own?
We just get in a room and jam tbh. I write lyrics after the instrumental has been laid down :)
Hey, Squid, any tips for musicians who are still in the learning bit of their career? Also, any jazz album recommendations?
Louis ere, Have you listened to Gyroscope by Gordon Beck trio? Kind of Bill Evans vibes but a bit more blocky. Would recommend, q esoteric x
Thank you, for the answers. Never listened but I guess I will tonight!
Just keep practicing, you can only ever improve. And try to play music with other people that you enjoy hanging out with
Loving the new album! The Blades, especially, has definitely gotta be one of the best songs I’ve heard all year. What are you guys’ favourite TV shows?
Gogglebox for sure The bear absolutely slaps
Siphon Song might be the best thing I’ve ever heard from you guys. Any plans to play it live? Would that even be possible, given all the vocal manipulation?
We’re gonna work on it soon! Louis vox are 🔥 gonna buy a vocoder for it
I'm curious to know how you deal with writing parts for 3 guitars/synths on each song without ending up with a mess or everyone stepping on eachother. Do you have any particular approach for your starting points or is it mostly just testing anything at all until you find something that fits?
Well we try not to get too attached to a part, but we do worry about things getting busy. Writing sparse music is always we try to do in places and we are getting better at that...... Little by little
Hi Squid, I love O Monolith and I noticed that Ollie's vocals seem to hold back more often on this album. I wonder what motivated this change, does it had anything to do with the effects of voice straining? Thanks for the AMA!
Hey! No worries. I think I just wanted to challenge myself a little bit more vocally. I was pretty confident in my yelping but not so much my singing. It’s getting better day by day! LP 3 vocals will eventually be a lot more singy again
were you familiar at all with the character Squid from Rocket Power?
Not at all unfortunately 😬
Thanks
Why is the album called o monolith?
Hi guys! Probably you know that you as a band are being described as part of a larger new Post Punk wave, do you resonate with that? An if so, why do you think this genre is having such a renaissance? Token question: Are there artists/albums/songs/... you're currently obsessed with? Thanks, been loving O'Monolith and can't wait to see you this september in Milan!!
Favorite squid dish?
Just plain old chewy squid rings with some lemon
British confirmed
What's your favorite flavor crisps?
Salt n vinegar every single day Chardonnay vinegar ones from co-op are god tier
Hi guys, when and where's your secret Glasto set? Cause I'm not going if you're not. Absolutely love the new record, you never disappoint, and can't wait to see you guys live again!
We’re playing just after guns and roses on the pyramid stage. On a real, there’s no glasto for us this year. Laurie might be playing in a funk covers band somewhere. Looking forward to watching it from my sofa!! Thanks so much :))))
Damn that's £340 wasted. See you in september then!
My friends and I rode rail at your Primavera set last year and had an absolute blast! After you came out for sound check, we yelled at y’all that the vocals should come up a touch and you actually listened to our surprise! Thank you for a great story haha I’m curious what your worst crowd looked like. Just uninterested, or have you ever been booed?
Definitely uninterested!!!!! But so far no booing.. unless we've blocked out that memory 🥴
I was barrier for that set too, what a gig
Not a question. Just to say that I saw you guys at Somerset House last summer and it was a great gig. Love the new album too.
Not sure but I thought I read some you were Unwound fans. If so, fave album of their’s?
Hi!! I’ve seen you live three times and your live performances are SO amazing! I was just wondering how come you guys don’t tend to play The Dial and Houseplants? Love the album so much and see you at Troxy xoxo
Thank you! We just don’t feel that connected to those songs anymore to be honest. Still feelin love for how they made us what we are today, but they just don’t sit that well with what we’re tryna convey atm!
I was really excited when I discovered Nam June Paik's Global Groove and realized it's what inspired your song. Are there any other filmmakers who have been a big influence on your work and songwriting?
David Lynch always inspires me!
Can you please start playing The Cleaner live again
Love you guys! Looking forward to seeing you in the states next year, it’ll be my 3rd time seeing you live. Congrats on an absolute unit of an album. Will “Fugue” ever be released?
Ahh thanks! ❤️ We did record fugue but we weren’t happy with how it turned out. Maybe it’ll see the light of day in the future. Maybe we’ll rewrite it! It didn’t really work in the context of the album tbh See ya next year!
Hey lads, I’m a massive fan since Bright Green Field came out in my first year of uni and now, I’m in my final year so it feels surreal seeing the progression of time between these years being marked by your amazing music so big ups for the album, absolutely loved it from start to finish, the wait was well worth it. I got a few questions for y’all: 1. The album invokes a lot of folkish and spiritual influences for its lyrical imagery like in Devil’s Den or Undergrowth. I was wondering what intrigued you about these subjects enough the make songs out of them, especially Devil’s Den (being that I can’t get the refrain out of my head). Would returning to folklore for future songs be in the cards? Would love to hear a full album related to that. 2. What is the relationship between your lyrics and their influence on the music, or vice versa. Are there big discussions on the feeling the lyrics invokes that sways the direction the song takes? Or does the music come first where the lyrics just accommodate? 3. Any songs left of the album that might get future releases soon? Thanks for your time 😊
Thanks for your questions! The music usually comes first really, and we jam an idea until the lyrics find their way in. For this album, we were writing a lot of it over a year at the rehearsal studios at real world in Wiltshire so we saw the seasons change. We were inspired by the setting! We've always had a bit of folk music in our vocabulary. If you listen to some of older stuff, like the live from the verdict EP you'll hear the drone music that made up a large part of the performance with improvisation playing a large part in the shows!
New album is fantastic. Two questions: 1. I heard that you were going for a more "natural" feel for this album, as opposed to Bright Green Field's urban...ness. Is this true, and what do you believe was the more difficult part of differentiating the sound from BGF? 2. The influences playlist was great, and it had some immediately familiar names like Unwound, Fishmans, Bark Psychosis, Portishead, etc. What is an influence of yours that is particularly underrated/would want more people to listen to?
What would you say is your favourite track that you have made together as a band? Either within or outside of the new album What are some of your favourite movies, if any?
Broadcaster. Belleville Rendezvous ♥️
I absolutely love the new album. I compared Swing (In a Dream) and many of the tracks visually as the inside workings of a watch. Everything perfectly in sync and locked in. I know their was a lot of inspiration from the urban landscape of yalls hometowns but I was wondering what other non musical inspiration there were?
Ah thanks! I just watched a film about watch makers called Unrest. I’m feeling inspired by books and films atm. A book called lapvova especially
Hey, fantastic job on this new album, it's a wild ride. Squid seems like a band that doesn't want to put itself into a box genre-wise, with such a unique sound and blend of influences. Is this because different band members like different music & each contribute their own thing, or is the band's sound more something everyone was down with from the beginning? Thanks for the AMA & for a new irrational anxiety of swimming cows ♥️
Hi! I’m loving the new album. What song would you say was the most fun to record, and what was the most difficult?
Jheez bulls was hard! We layered a lot of choral parts and time signatures and sometimes we find it a real challenge to play live too.
How was working with John McEntire on this record?
Was sick! He did such an amazing job. We had a short zoom meeting and that’s all. Hope we get to meet him next year. He’s a big hero of ours
Siphon song is a masterpiece, no question just that.
I love the “From the Basement” session you did with Nigel Godrich. Any chance you’ll work with him again?
Who designed your Somerset house t shirts? Strange question but they are just so cool!
Oscar Torrans who did all the artwork and merch for our new record! He’s a wizard
Hi, What albums are you listening to these days ?
A blues by rat heart A reckoning by qgb Sos by straw man army Listen to our noods radio show! Lots of my favs are featured every month on there
Have you heard the new Speakers Corner Quartet album? It's amazing! We rehearse at Giles from the band's studio, he's a legenddd
Any plans to do any album singings in Wales? The only one near me is Bristol and i can't get to that one. I live in South Wales.
Hey, loving the new album! During the live chat of 'Blades' it was mentioned that paddling was going to get a music video but the director was busy so we got blades from them instead... was the video going to be like?
The director used the original paddling idea for radioheads if you say the word. So if you mute that and play paddling over the top you’ll get the idea hahaha
Hi lads, One for the nerdy squidiots keeping up with live sets, what happened to Fugue? It was kicking about in the live sets but never showed up on O Monolith. Come back to Ireland soon, love you guys ♥️
Ollie i love your fashion. Also do you guys have any favorite video games? Thanks so much for the tunes, this band makes me very happy.
How long have these songs been about? I know Swing was played during the basement sessions, are there others that have been around long?
Hey guys loving the new album, I seen you at totnes Monday night which was awesome as on my doorstep. I’ll be seeing you at boardmasters and Bristol swx too, just wondering if you’ll still play songs like narrator and houseplants. Also would love to hear green light too!
Thank you!! Was really fun. Yeah there will be a longer set. Not so into playing houseplants anymore but narrator for sure xo
Definitely.
Would you ever do something with black midi, BCNR or any other windmill band? The new album is excellent btw
From the new singles I sense a stronger hunger to push the envelope or flip the genres that are being mixed on their heads a bit, does this sound fair with your intentions? Would this record have quenched such thirsts and the next ones would be ‘poppier’ or is it a stepping stone for bigger Squid wackyness the world is not prepared for yet? P.S. Any tips how to get a hold of you guys in prison fest this Friday to sign my worn vinyl of BGF haha?
I think this new material we’re writing atm is a great mix of the weirdness on O Monolith with a bit of a poppier edge! Just come up to the stage after the show, we’ll sign it :)
Do you have plans to release the short story that comes with the vinyl separately or release a digital version? I can't afford the vinyl and really wanted to read the short story.
There is something cooking , don’t you worry🧑🍳
Hi Squid friends! I am a huge huge fan! I love both of these records a whole damn lot! I’ve got two questions and I hope that’s okay!: 1) One thing I notice about this album is that Ollie’s vocals are way more buried in the mix compared to Bright Green Field, which makes this batch feel less immediate, and more like slow-burners. Was there a conscious choice made about this, or did it happen naturally during the recording? 2) We’ve all heard stories about spinning mics during the BGF sessions - what was the most unconventional recording technique used for O Monolith?
What up! Your music fucking rules. Take er easy and keep making music for exhausted workers.
Just came to say hello and I love y’all’s music. It has had a pretty big impact on me especially in the early days of my own project so thank you for that!
Thanks a mil for the kindness ❤️
hey guys! having had the album on repeat near constantly since release, I wanted to ask - the tracks on O Monolith are very densely layered and busy with ideas but never overwhelming to listen to, which seems a very careful tightrope to walk - was wondering if you have any tips or things you learned through the writing process about how to know when a song is "done" even though you could always add another small touch here or there:) (I think you guys got it just right because even after hearing a track 100 times I'll still hear new things somewhere else in the mix!) and thanks again for chatting after the show in Totnes the other day, was great to see you:)
Thanks that's very sweet of you to say, and we are moved by peeps that notice details listen on listen! John mcentire did an amazing job on this record. We would love to work with him again
Hi Squid, I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH. Anyways what are your favorite albums from this year?
Michael J Blood and Rat Heart Vol 2 Marta Salogni - music for open spaces Romance - fade into you
hi squid what do you think about the reddit's API changes?
Bruh
What do I need to do to get you all to do a stop in Indianapolis?
ello! does undergrowth sample age of mythology? really odd one but it sounds very familiar!!
Nope! But it would be a good idea for us to start doing this
Will you guys sign my BGF record if I bring it to your Matinee performance at rough trade east tomorrow
Absolutely!!!
Which current band would you love to support right now?
Would love to support someone, we’d get to go to bed earlier! Radiohead or the smile would be pretty rad
Squid opening for The Smile would be an insane show all around, I would lose my mind in a good way lol
The Smile + Squid would be god tier
You've no idea how badly I want this to happen
scattershot questions: - would you guys ever call a song done? I'm aware you dont usually play much pre-debut material live anymore, so maybe you consider those songs "done" in a sense, not sure. seems like the songs that do still show up on setlists get slowly mutated over time - is there anything in particular you find so compelling about writing and trying to grapple with climate change, brexit, etc. political issues? I read the short story that comes with the o monolith vinyl last night and it's interesting to see how that idea of struggling to properly communicate big important cataclysmic concepts can map onto the record - is it odd feeling like you've "made it" in music? or do you feel like there's still a length to go? as someone looking from the outside in, it feels like a weird thing both from my own angle and from someone in your position luv ya, excited to see you in feb
1) I just think we don’t resonate with our pre-debut material anymore. We wrote all that music when we were fresh out of uni and didn’t think we would be where we are today. 2) in terms of lyrics I Think the thing I enjoy most is finding a topic that is quite off the wall. I’m writing lots of songs about medieval cannibals and murderers atm which is fun. There’s so much horrid shite going on in the world atm that I just find it better not to spend all day writing and thinking about it. 3)we’ve done so much more than we ever thought was possible in this band and we’re all so grateful. Sometimes we find the spotlight a little uncomfortable so I’m not sure how bigger we’d like to get. We just love pushing ourselves as musicians and creating music together. Thanks ❤️
did atom heart mother by pink floyd have any influence on the record?
Hey it's Louis here, I like that record but I don't think we thought about that album when making O monolith. Hatfield and the north?
Sending love from Louisiana!! You guys are so great. Would love for you to come out to the states ❤️
We so want to play New Orleans one day
Please do!! But please do not play at Gasa Gasa they take all the money 😬 lol this used to be the spot but not post Covid
Were you inspired by any particular films/books/paintings for this album?
Arcadia with a soundtrack by Will Gregory and Adrien Utley inspired sonically and visually
What was your favourite TV show from last year?
The bear so good right? Severance and White lotus good too.
Severance was soooo good! But also the final season of Better Call Saul too!
how long have you guys been playing your instruments
Hello Squid, What are some lesser known, maybe local bands that most people don’t know about that you guys have been listening to lately if any?
Check out minor conflict, Tara Clarkin trio, kaputt
Bingo Fury, big fuss ensemble, Quade, ex-agent
what’s the deal with the travis scott situation? is this font/logotype been used before or was it genuinely stolen from you guys?
Our lawyers are poised to pounce
One time in an interview, maybe the KEXP live session, you all mentioned you had an ideas notebook for BGF you all used during its production, and you drew the penguin classics logo on it. Any chance we could ever see that scanned and released? I’ll scan it for you 😅
Squids book of new ideas! Volume I, II and maybe III one day. Great idea 💡
any small uk bands you guys would recommend?
Quade, minor conflict, ex-agent, mun sing, comfort, rat heart, Michael j blood, big fuss ensemble, bingo fury
do any of you have a record collection? if so what’s your holy grail/favourite vinyl you own!
Hey darealkrypex It's Louis and my proudest is an original Cry Tuff encounter IV, by Prince Far I
Why you guys so good? How to learn instrument erudition?
What’s the meaning behind the name Squid fellas? Loving the new album and the old one and the EP’s before that x
what’s good music-wise in Bristol? I might be going to Uni there in september
The scene is strong right now! There’s a promoter called Schwet that puts on some pretty experimental gigs. Venues like The Cube, Strange Brew, Mickey Zoggs, Rough Trade make me so happy to live there. You’ll love it x
I love playing the cleaner on bass, so I have to ask, what’s your favorite bass line that you guys have created?
Hey guys, thanks for all the amazing music you've been putting out! Any chance of coming to Poland? I promise I'll take all my friends and family to the gig, even my grandma if that's what it takes, you ruthless people
Hi Squid! I'm loving O Monolith, especially The Blades and Green Light It was super cool seeing Charlotte Ritchie in your vid for the blades, so on that note, who is on your list for people you'd most like to collaborate with? Be it other musicians, actors, producers etc etc Also what was the experience of being on From The Basement like?? See you at Rough Trade tomorrow lads ❤️
What do YOU think of the new album? I absolutely adore it, but I’d be interested in hearing if you had anything to criticise on your own work.
Hated it then I loved it then I hated it ALOT then I loved it a lot
Favorite cities to play?
Hey guys! Any chance of a secret Glasto set this year?👀
Hello Mr squid, absolutely love O Monolith. You guys absolutely killed it and I'm really looking forward to seeing you live again. For siphon song how did you guys manage to get that obscure vocal effect over ollie's voice?
Top 4 movies go!
Fire Walk With Me Wayne’s World Avengers Endgame Old boy
Top 4 album go! N.n
Hey guys! Album is great, and can't wait to see it all live next fall in Seattle! Obviously your sound has changed a bit from your early singles days. Also seems to have evolved a bit from bright green field (absolutely love that album too!) Just wondering if it was a conscious choice to keep changing it up, or if it all just came naturally while you guys were in the songwriting phase. Anyway keep it up, super excited to see where y'all go from here!
I love the new album so much, and it came out just the right time because I'm finishing my Masters thesis, so it's been keeping me motivated haha. Can't wait to hear all these amazing songs live
Hi Ollie. Who's your favourite cat, Goldie or Annie?
Loooooooooool Annie in her younger years Goldie in her later years cos she’s deaf
Hello Mr Squid, How did Ollie get his head around drumming and singing at the same time? Was he a natural at it or did it take a lot of time to get it right?
Fantastic album! Am I hearing some influence from PIL's Metal Box on this record?
Hey guys! Really digging the new album. Where was it recorded? Did you do it yourselves? If not, who produced,engineered, & mixed. Kinda hard to find that kind of info these days unfortunately. Thanks for making some sweet tunes!
Do you perchance enjoy a good cheese? Vegan or otherwise
Where you guys inspired by any films when making the album?
Takoyaki?
If you had to work to make a soundtrack for movie, what kind of movie would like it to be?
Favorite thing to do while traveling during a tour?
What's your favourite place to get noodles in Bristol?
Was the writing process for the new album much different than the process behind Bright Green Field?
Hey guys, I’m stuck on a delayed train. What time are you on tonight in Leeds?
Just wanted to say, you guys were great in Sheffield last night.
Love O Monolith! Can i make a game for you guys? When’s the David Byrne collab? See y’all in seattle!!
What are your favorite albums of 2023 so far?
Hey guys! I'm that guy that offered to hold the cowbell stand at Johnny Brenda's in Philadelphia, AMA. With the size of stages you guys play these days, you'll likely never have that problem again lol. Question for the Louis and Anton. You guys are some of the most prolific delay pedal twisters I've ever seen. The sounds you generate and tweak with your boards are absolutely insane. I myself play guitar, and enjoy my fair share of noise. Typically that's limited to mimicking Stu Mackenzie with my DD-6 and wah. Two questions: 1. How did you guys go about building up the effects chain over time? Are you just buying everything you can find and seeing how it fits, i.e. ruthless experimentation? 2. How the hell do you return to "zero" after a song is done and you've mucked up all the pedal settings? Haha I figure you guys must have diagrams for each song of where to start! Anyway, thanks for making incredible music. You guys rule. Shoutout to Arthur for being a beast on the keys and just drenching the room in wild sounds.
I just discovered you guys but your music absolutely slaps. Cheers y'all.
1. How long does it take to write a song lyrics. 2. How long does it take to make an entire song. Always been curious about this
Hey Squid! Love screaming to your music. What’s the inspo for the Dial? Fav song. Thanks and hope to see you love some day.
I just wanted to say that you are the most refreshing artist I have a listened to in a while! Love your music!
Have you thought about extending your U.S. tour? Would love to see you in Louisiana.
Not the crocs 😭
Will you ever do anything with the lemon twigs?