Squid have shared a glitchy new single called ‘Cro-Magnon Man’, check it out below.
- READ MORE: Squid on new album ‘O Monolith’: “We’re all in the groove now: we’ve never been more confident”
Shared today (February 4), the track marks the final single to be shared from their forthcoming album ‘Cowards’. It follows on from the dystopian lead track ‘Crispy Skin’ and the inward-looking follow-up ‘Building 650’. You can pre-order the album here.
With ‘Cro-Magnon Man’, the band capture the sound of an alternate timeline, where objects devoid of meaning have outlived mankind.
“Predator and prey, alive/ Alert us when the numbers on the page divide/The petrol station sign… ‘Open Every hour, all through the night’,” they sing, along with vocals from guitarist Louis Borlase alongside Clarissa Connelly, Tony Njoku and Rosa Brook.
“But Cro-Magnon Man/ Lacks the wherewithal/ To influence the rest/ But how many times/ Do you dream of mist above the crest?” they continue amid sharp, glitching synths and a heavy bassline. Check it out below.
The song comes as the final teaser for ‘Cowards’. Set for release this Friday (February 7) via Warp, the record is centred around themes of evil, and consists of “apophenia-tinged songs are punched by vantablack comedy”.
“Cowards is rich in layers and harmonies, full of digital soundscapes, acoustic grandeur and experimental tones found by pushing instruments far beyond their traditional roles,” reads a description. “Throughout their third album, Squid explore textures of folk, kosmische, psychedelia, jazz and electronics. It is the sound of five brains all tuned into the same frequency.”
As well as the record, Borlase and co. have announced a string of UK headline dates for this spring. These include stops in Liverpool, London, Manchester and more, and will kick off later this month. Visit here for remaining tickets.
‘Cowards’ was recorded at Church Studios in Crouch End with Mercury Prize-winning producer Marta Salogni and Grace Banks. It was also produced by Dan Carey, who also recorded the band’s first two albums. Recently it was named by NME as one of the most anticipated album releases of 2025.
Their second album, ‘O Monolith’, was released in June 2023 and given a four-star review by NME, which called it “a monument to daring artistic growth”: “If Squid can make daring, experimental music sound as fun as this, then they will take some stopping.”
The post Listen to Squid’s trippy new single ‘Cro-Magnon Man’ appeared first on NME.
