Squid have shared a new song titled “Building 650,” the second preview of their upcoming album, Cowards. Stream it below.
With moody, yet punchy instrumentation, “Building 650” dips back into the dark comedy of lead single “Crispy Skin” with lyrics like, “Frank’s my friend/ He’s my friend/ We are friends/ There’s murder sometimes/ But he’s a real nice guy.”
In a statement, lead singer/drummer Ollie Judge said “Building 650” was inspired by the band’s first trip to Japan, where they arrived to play Summer Sonic 2022 just two days after the COVID travel ban had been lifted.
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“Because of this we felt like some of the only tourists in Tokyo,” he said. “On the plane, I read In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami and watched Lost in Translation out of excitement and later decided to write lyrics about being an outsider visiting Japan, including a very particular type of loneliness one can feel visiting a country that is so different from their own. This loneliness feels exaggerated in Tokyo, on the surface it’s hectic and full of people but when you listen, it’s eerily quiet.”
The accompanying music video was shot in Japan and co-directed by longtime collaborator Felix Geen with Daisuke Hasegawa and Kuya Tatsujo. Starring Hiroki Sato and Akari Mimura, the clip was inspired by In the Miso Soup and is meant to capture the struggle of young people living in Tokyo.
“The wave of technology is overwhelming, and an intense sense of fear, driven by the need to interact with others, envelops the city,” Kuya said in a statement. “Amidst this, I think I was able to depict the young people struggling to live and the landscape of the city.”
As one of our most anticipated albums of the year, Cowards is set for release on February 7th via Warp Records, and pre-orders are ongoing. After that, Squid will embark on a supporting tour of the UK/Europe. See the full list of dates, and get tickets here.
