Cowards, the third studio release from the critically acclaimed post-punk band, Squid, finds the group experimenting with new sounds and songwriting techniques. Through the release of Cowards, the band continues to evolve from their post-punk-based roots, producing an album focused on atmosphere, texture, and chilling lyrics.
The record opens with the lead single, “Crispy Skin,” featuring a driving motorik drum pattern that locks in beat with the thumping bass, propelling the song through different instrumental sections. Throughout the track, haunting synths, eerily strummed guitars, and sampled vocals are layered above the drums and bass creating an unnerving atmosphere. The cryptic lyrics of the song detailing eating skin and cannibalism heighten this feeling of creepiness. The song is a bold statement to start the album off with, and a perfect piece of post-punk.
“Crispy Skin” is followed by the song “Building 650,” an equally chilling track, detailing the friendship between the narrator and a character named Frank, who is a serial killer. The song is layered with gorgeous synths and strings which contrast the angular guitar chords producing a tense and anxious feeling in the listener.
“Blood on the Boulders,” the third track on Cowards, begins with lyrics referencing the Manson murders, as the track describes the narrative of a cult leader and examines society’s love for true crime. The instrumental slowly gains pace from a slowly picked acoustic guitar, adding dissonant strings and louder drums until the tension breaks and the song mellows out again.
The title track of Cowards is a jazz-infused post-rock piece that contrasts the dark tone of the album with a warm horn section and softly sung vocals. The subsequent track “Showtime!” dials the tension back up to a hundred percent once again. The opening section of the song is infused with dance-punk-like qualities, featuring a jagged guitar and groovy bass lines. The instrumental then undergoes a transition with weird electronic meddling before opening into a final furious rush of strings, synths, and drums.
The closing song, “Well Met (Fingers Through the Fence),” deals with indifference to the ongoing climate crisis as Ollie Judge prophetically proclaims that “the future’s perfect from the backseat.” The catastrophic lyrics are set against a backdrop of an anxiously played harpsichord, pounding kick drums, and wailing horns, adding to the intensity of the subject matter. The song is a fitting close to an album that constantly feels like it’s on the verge of the apocalypse.
Throughout Cowards, vocalist Ollie Judge explores the dark and evil sides of humanity. In each of the nine tracks, Judge describes stories of serial killers, cannibals, and cult leaders painting a grim picture of humanity. The band has cited literary influences, specifically horror novels like Tender Is the Flesh, to have been especially influential in the making of Cowards.
This not only comes through in the lyrics as Cowards is Squid’s darkest-sounding album to date. Each song has a distinct eerie atmosphere that complements Ollie Judge’s sharp vocals. Piercing strings and jagged guitars line the record, giving Cowards its haunted feel. Most of the songs lack a traditional song structure as they are more focused on texture and building a rich soundscape. On tracks such as “Fieldworks I” and “Fieldworks II,” the structures progress slowly through repetitive instrumental patterns before reaching mini climaxes, where the tension that was built up throughout the instrumentals is finally released.
As a result of this new approach, while lacking any instantly catchy melodies to hold onto, is a dark sonic experience that demands deeper listening, entrancing the listener. Cowards demonstrates a band maturing in their own sound, indulging in atmosphere and chilling lyrics to produce an album that is fresh and reflective of the times we live in.
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