Being dubbed as a record about "evil itself," Cowards has Squid going darker and creepier with their aesthetics. Surprisingly, this record is more scaled back in instrumentation and has a heavier use of baroque instrumentation with horns, strings, and harpsichord.
Being around for nearly a decade at this point, Squid quickly became one of the most exciting English bands in the realm of modern day post punk and experimental rock. Through Warp records, the five piece create nervy, intense grooves matched with sinister, brooding energy. Their debut album, Bright Green Field was my favorite album of 2021 and it is definitely one of the strongest and most memorable releases of the decade so far. The hooky grooves on those singles are undeniable while the album's sharp drastic turns in sound still surprise me to this day. Their second album, O Monolith continues further down their sound in more experimental, slow burning territories and the band were still able to find great tunes in the process. Now here comes Cowards, the group's new, third studio album. Cowards certainly still has the sinister sound and snarl that you get from their previous material. Being dubbed as a record about "evil itself," Cowards has Squid going darker and creepier with their aesthetics. Surprisingly, this record is more scaled back in instrumentation and has a heavier use of baroque instrumentation with horns, strings, and harpsichord.
It should come as no surprise to Squid fans that this album is full of nods to classic Chicago post rock like Tortoise or English art pop and electronica like Tricky. The songs on here are enjoyably menacing and the band's performances remain impressive, especially for a band that is youthful and playful in energy and engagement. Singles like "Crispy Skin" and "Blood on the Borders" are sticky with their repeating grooves, jumpy instrumentation, and dark themes, with the former about cannibalism and the latter about the Manson murders. "Crispy Skin" is instantly gratifying and its six minute runtime is worth it. It's definitely a Squid classic. "Blood on the Borders" takes its time, starting out very graceful and sparse until its layered noisy second half. These are two of the best tracks on the album and I can see myself digging into these tracks more down the road. "Building 650" is cloudy and brooding in its mixes of shadowy Radiohead influence. I enjoy its latter half, where the strings and orchestration backing drummer/lead vocalist Ollie Judge; the combo really matches up nicely in surprising fashion. "Fieldworks" I and II is a nice two parter, where part I is a nice baroque, harpsichord driven ballad that leads into part II, that has a lot of emo qualities to it (think of their fellow contemporaries Black Country, New Road). Although not my favorite moments by any means, this two parter breaks the album nicely as the halfway point.
The album's second half takes a little detour that's a bit more downhill for me. "Cro-Magnon Man" is a late-night jaunt under the neon lit city skies and it evokes previous tracks like O Monolith's "Undergrowth." Its chorus and harmonies are creepy and hair raising in how whispery it is but it leaves a lot to be desired to be super memorable for me. The album's title track is a slow burner that starts out like a typically sparse, quiet Squid ballad that certainly takes its time with its dramatic progression until its climax full of horns and puttering percussion. "Showtime!" continues with the strings and baroque instrumentation with some jagged guitars and Judge's awkward, pained croon. I really do enjoy its thrilling second half, where the percussion speeds up with acceleration. It's definitely one of the more exciting moments on the album, which have been lacking. The album's closer, "Well Met," is the slow burners of all slow burners. Clocking in at over eight minutes, this one also takes its time with gentle harmonies matched with a tinkering noises and harpsichord. It's quite pretty and well crafted, kind of acting like a sinister lullaby you would recite in hell.
Squid continue to make surprises with their sound and are not at all tired of creating dark, shady songs that make you uncomfortable while also challenging you as the listener. Cowards may not be my favorite album of theirs but it still showcases what the band are great at doing and just how unique they actually are in comparison to any other current band out there in the field. I find much of this album to be decent but due to its lack of excitement or thrill, it makes me want to relisten to Bright Green Field or the highlights of O Monolith instead. For me, Cowards is a generally good, agreeable third offering from a band that seem to always find something new to tackle at while still giving its audience songs that they've come to expect. Although I can appreciate Cowards' scaled back approach in some aspects, I tend to enjoy Squid's more thrilling and exciting moments much much more. I'll look forward to whatever the band continues to come up with but as for now, Cowards is simply a fine collection of tracks that I like, but not love. But like some of their previous material, maybe it'll grow on me.
My Rating: 7 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Crispy Skin," "Blood on the Borders," "Showtime!," "Building 650," "Well Met"
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