Squid Lid

By Ashley Hampson
Theatrical meets dance floor. The notion isn't absurd in the least in this climate, where putting on a show seems to place right beside quality of music nowadays. Toronto, ON's Squid Lid, the twisted offspring produced by James Fisher (a schooled pianist and composer) and Jonah K (a producer and DJ), have taken theatrics, at least audibly, to heart on their debut full-length, Steam Powered Submarine. It's a foray into the post-apocalyptic landscape the disc houses, showcasing the chaotic distortions running rampant in the minds of its creators. To their credit, Squid Lid have done a remarkable job mixing in the ordinary in a most understated way. Running water dilutes into scattered, haunting echoes at the conclusion of "Waterwheel Waltz," while "Moustache Whacks" plays heavily on the industrial side, the warbling intro giving way to dirty, gutted bass and frenetic synths, finally building on riotous percussion and dissolving into disquieting, ethereal tones. The entire album is a tumultuous run that begs a second and third listen to capture and decipher the chaos.
(Zirco Circus) - Exclaim! Magazine

A 3-song teaser from Squid Lid. A prelude to their full-length album coming in May, which by all indications should be a doozie. Imagine a psycho-killer loose in the midway funhouse. Now you are in the mood. It’s dark electropop, with some industrial shading. - Ride The Tempo

Squid Lid.

This friend of mine let me know that he saw them live, during their recent set at the 2015 Aftermath Festival. They played about halfway through the line-up on the third day of the festival, following acts like Haujobb, 3TEETH, and Conjure One, no small feat by any means, as several iconic figures from the Industrial music community perform in those acts (namely, Daniel Myer and Rhys Fulber).
However, by all accounts, it seems they tore the roof off the joint. So thoroughly, in fact, that it seemed to me it was one of Jon’s more memorable performances he got to witness at Aftermath.
Immediately curious, I was searching for them before I was even off the phone with Jon. I took the easy way out and went to their Facebook first, and was instantaneously transfixed by their get-up. Here is a picture of them from Take It For Granted Photography.

They look like what would happen if The Misfits celebrated Dia De Los Muertos on the set of Tron: Legacy. Needless to say, I had to know what they sounded like. I jumped off of Facebook and found their actual website (linked in the second paragraph above). After navigating over to the “VIDS” portion of the site, I checked out their music video for “SHARK CLUB” on YouTube. The video itself is of a much higher quality than I initially expected. There aren’t a lot of underground Electronic bands out there investing time or money into videos nowadays, so I was blown away by the production value. Everything is bright, trippy, and the good kind of creepy. Plus, the “credits” portion of the video made me laugh harder than was probably appropriate. And the music itself? ABSOLUTELY. BRILLIANT. Opinions are like assholes, as we all know, so I apologize to the members of Squid Lid if they read this and don’t like the comparisons I am about to draw. But I have to say, for me, this particular track sounds like a hybrid of Skinny Puppy, Meat Beat Manifesto, and KMFDM. But that comparison really is only in the interest of disambiguating the sound a bit; in truth, after hearing more of their stuff after watching the video, they are an entity unto themselves, especially with the punchy recitations of their lead vocalist, Chloe Dellark (pictured below).

I was able to find their album, “Tackle Box”, released May of this year, on Spotify. And I listened to the entire thing all the way through. This is impressive in and of itself: I am a thoroughly jaded music fan at 30 years of age, and I almost ALWAYS find myself skipping through at least a few “unlistenables” on any given band’s album. That didn’t happen once during my playthrough of “Tackle Box”; in fact, I am currently in the middle of listening to it for the second time in one day.

This whole album (available from their website, along with many others) is sexy from beginning to end. Dark at times, totally dancy at others, and meticulously composed throughout, it’s like calliope music for the new generation. I simply cannot get enough of it. From the creepy-crawly opening track of “Figment Shifter” all the way to the almost Trance/Euro House-inspired closer of “Calling Tamarindo”, the number of soundscapes in which you find yourself will defy you to become bored. And if you do get bored? I don’t even think I can talk to you right now.

In closing: I will be paying a whole lot of attention to future efforts from Squid Lid, and I am beyond excited to see what their entire discography has to offer. This has been “While I Was Surfing #1”, and I continue to be Douglesby. - Echo Base