Squid Cowards
Released Feb 7, 2025 Warp Records
Established consensus 13 professional reviews Updated Aug 25, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
Squid's Cowards lands as a bold post-punk statement that marries jagged energy with unexpected experimentation, and the critical consensus suggests it mostly succeeds.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Well Met (Fingers Through The Fence)
1 critic mention
“The finale, Well Met (Fingers Through the Fence), is a stunning surprise” — The Skinny
Blood on the Boulders
1 critic mention
“the spidery, menacing Blood on the Boulders is a perfect example” — The Skinny
Crispy Skin
1 critic mention
“dulcimer sparkles and lurching bass of Crispy Skin” — The Skinny
Full critic consensus
Squid's Cowards lands as a bold post-punk statement that marries jagged energy with unexpected experimentation, and the critical consensus suggests it mostly succeeds. Across 13 professional reviews the record earned an 83.69/100 consensus score, with reviewers repeatedly citing the album's knack for dramatic contrasts - propulsive riffs, surreal lyricism and moments of outright surprise. Critics consistently point to standout tracks such as “Crispy Skin”, “Blood on the Boulders” and “Well Met (Fingers Through the Fence)” as the record's high points, praising the dulcimer shimmer and spidery menace that give those songs their bite.
Reviewers frame Cowards within a post-punk revival lineage while noting Squid's willingness to push beyond homage into risky arrangements and collaborations. The critical narrative celebrates experimentation and depth - where upbeat propulsion and unsettling textures coexist - and many reviews treat the album's finale “Well Met (Fingers Through the Fence)” as a revelatory moment that repositions the band as British rock innovators. While the available reviews skew positive and highlight the collection's memorable peaks, critics also imply a tension between daring ideas and cohesion, leaving room for debate about whether every experimental turn lands.
In short, the consensus from professional reviews presents Cowards as a largely rewarding, adventurous follow-up that offers several of the best songs on the record and confirms Squid's exploratory ascent; detailed reviews below unpack where the album thrills and where its risks might divide opinion.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Crispy Skin
Building 650
Blood on the Boulders
Fieldworks I
Fieldworks II
Cro-Magnon Man
Cowards
Showtime!
Well Met (Fingers Through The Fence)
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 13 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Squid arrive with a record that repeatedly thrills and surprises, and on Cowards the best tracks - “Crispy Skin”, “Blood on the Boulders” and “Well Met (Fingers Through the Fence)” - do the heavy lifting. Kavanagh’s prose finds the band settling into status as Britain’s new rock innovators, praising the dulcimer sparkles of “Crispy Skin” and the spidery menace of “Blood on the Boulders” as standout moments. She flags the finale “Well Met (Fingers Through the Fence)” as a stunning surprise, a heady collaboration that sounds like nothing they have done before. The review positions these best songs as evidence that Squid have undeniably arrived, folding experimentation into electrifying, memorable peaks across the album.
Key Points
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The best song moments are distinctive sonic peaks - “Well Met (Fingers Through the Fence)” surprises, “Blood on the Boulders” menaces, and “Crispy Skin” shimmers.
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Cowards' core strength is folding post-punk fury and wide-ranging experimentation into focused, electrifying arrangements that signal Squid's arrival.
Themes
