Bright Green Field – Squid

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2021	Bright Green Field	Squid	★★★½	79	Rock	Alternative Rock	Post Punk

There’s a lot to like about Bright Green Field, the first album by British band Squid. 

Musically, it’s post punk with a lot of captivating odd, dancy syncopation and forward energy. The production is more diverse than what you’d typically expect from a punk band, with synths and electronic clicks, horns and layered vocals here and there. It’s all pretty fun, exciting and creative. 

There’s also not as much aggression in the vocals, which are goofy at times with cracking voices and a B-52s level of randomness and theatrics. But when Ollie Judge get going — especially in some of the sections where he repeats a refrain like the “I’ll play mine” build on “Narrator”  or “Don’t push me in” outro on “Paddling” — he can really crank up the energy and draw you in. 

The album also does a great job at balancing more sparse, contemplative moments where you can hear each melodic line on its own or as part of a round, and the really big hits of sound, when new-wave drumming picks up the pace and the guitars really start to screech and buzz.  

The downside of the record is that it’s a bit long, and some of the tracks stretch beyond 7-8 minutes. That isn’t always a problem and is something I can get over since the music is good — especially if the payoff is as big as “Narrator” – but some moments feel a bit too abstract or disconnected, like the back half of “Boy Racers” and the instrumental interludes, which make the album start to drag a little near the end.