Squid | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
Indie Rock Hit Parade Live Session: Squid
Joining us in the studio for this Indie Rock Hit Parade live session is a group whose new album is one of 2021’s most thrilling debuts. Originally from Brighton and now based in London, Squid delivered on the promise of their early singles and EPs with the full-length Bright Green Field, released back in the spring. A collision of post-punk energy and spaced-out noise ambiance, Squid’s approach is thrilling; songs carom from one mode to another and rarely look back.
Squid stopped by our studio while in the middle of their fully sold out US tour. To celebrate this outing, the group recorded a cover of Bill Callahan’s 2011 song “America!” which they ran through in this session. You’ll also hear take of a new, still-untitled song that the group has been working out during their shows. The centerpiece, however, is the extended medley of two songs from Bright Green Field: as it does on the album, this rollicking performance of”Boy Racers” transitions into a cosmic trip, with synthesizer washes and processed cornet. From there, a frenetic middle section erupts with interlocking sequencers and live drum crashes before resolving into a breakneck run-through of album highlight “Paddling.” It currently stands as the longest continuous performance of any Indie Rock Hit Parade session.
Listen to Squid’s IRHP session below, check out the band’s just-announced 2022 North American tour dates, and see John Vettese’s photos and videos from the studio below…
