After the recent announcement of their new album Cowards, UK band Squid have dropped new single, “Building 650”. The band recorded Cowards at Church Studios in Crouch End with Marta Salogni and Grace Banks, with additional production by longtime collaborator Dan Carey, who recorded the band’s first two albums. The record was mixed by John McEntire (Tortoise) before being mastered by Heba Kadry. For additional voice and instruments, Squid collaborated with friends and musicians: Danish experimental songsmith Clarissa Connelly, composer, pianist and singer Tony Njoku, Rosa Brook from punk group Pozi, percussion wizard Zands Duggan, and Jonny Greenwood collaborators the Ruisi Quartet for violin, viola and cello. Cowards, drops on February 15th via Warp Records

Ollie Judge explains: “‘Building 650’ is a song inspired by our first ever trip to Japan. We played the Summersonic festival in 2022, luckily we were booked to play 2 days after the COVID travel ban had been lifted, because of this we felt like some of the only tourists in Tokyo. On the plane I read In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murikami 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 song is paired with a video directed by longtime collaborator Felix Geen who shot the video in Japan alongside local directors Daisuke Hasegawa and Kuya Tatsujo. “For this script, I believed it was necessary to incorporate not only inspiration from the novel (In The Miso Soup) but also scenes from contemporary Japan,” says Kuya. “The wave of technology is overwhelming, and an intense sense of fear, driven by the need to interact with others, envelops the city. Amidst this, I think I was able to depict the young people struggling to live and the landscape of the city.”

Geen elaborates: “I feel that the whole video came together very nicely with the human touch added by Daisuke and Kuya. I got to have my fun with the expansive and deconstructed city shots, and it was all brought back down to earth and grounded by the raw and natural 8mm film work from them.”

Squid, includes Louis Borlase, Ollie Judge, Arthur Leadbetter, Laurie Nankivell, and Anton Pearson. Following a sold-out New York City show to celebrate the announcement of Cowards, Squid will embark on a UK and EU headline tour beginning next month. A full list of dates are listed below and tickets are on sale now.

Squid 2025 Tour Dates

Mon. Feb. 17 – Liverpool, UK @ Invisible Wind Factory
Tue. Feb. 18 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz Manchester
Wed. Feb. 19 – Glasgow, UK @ Old Fruitmarket
Fri. Feb. 21 – Newcastle, UK @ NSU Domain
Sat. Feb. 22 – Sheffield, UK @ Leadmill
Mon. Feb 24 – Cambridge, UK @ Junction 1
Tue. Feb 25 – Norwich, UK @ The Adrian Flux Waterfront
Thu. Feb. 27 – Oxford, UK @ O2 Academy Oxford
Fri. Feb. 28 – Southampton, UK @ Engine Rooms
Sat. March 1 – Margate, UK @ Lido
Sun. March 2 – Brighton, UK @ Chalk
Tue. March 4 – Birmingham, UK @ XOYO
Wed. March 5 – Bristol, UK @ Bristol Beacon
Wed. April 9 – Paris, FR @ Cabaret Sauvage
Thu. April 10 – Cologne, DE @ Club Volta
Fri. April 11 – Dresden, DE @ Polimagie Festival
Sat. April 12 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
Mon. April 14 – Schorndorf, DE @ Manufaktur
Tue. April 15 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
Wed. April 16 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix
Fri. April 18 – Rotterdam, NL @ Motel Mozaique Festival
Sat. April 19 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
Sat. April 26 – London, UK @ Roundhouse

Pre-order Cowards by Squid HERE