Premiere: Squeeze The Squid Provide Absurd Escape On “Girl On The Fritz”
Every joy in life has its naysayers. People who come out of the woodwork to extol the benefits of not doing something. Whether it’s skipping exercise or embracing sloth, avoiding parenthood or pursuing it, abstaining or indulging, grinding away at a job or rejecting the 9-to-5, there’s always someone ready to argue the other side. Considering one of the oldest written records modern society has uncovered is a complaint about the quality of cooper in the 18th century BC (yes, nearly four thousand years ago), this tendency shouldn’t be surprising. Despite it all, we still crave an outlet to vent, something we all know is frowned upon yet necessary. And just because this trait is often seen as undesirable doesn’t mean it’s always wrong. Having kids is expensive and stressful. Working a job can drain the life out of you. And yes, sometimes you wish you could stay sober, while other times there’s not enough to drown out the voices around you, including those naysayers.
Relationships hold a special place in this conversation, as each one is unique and, as the saying goes, none are perfect… leaving plenty of room for everyone to offer their two cents on how things should unfold. Most of the time, it’s easy to tune out the noise, but one stray argument or particularly “off” day, and suddenly, the critics start to make more sense, making you question who the real irrational one is. It’s a trap we all fall into from time to time, some with firm conviction and others with a more playful, tongue-in-cheek approach, much like Richmond’s own molluscan rock group, Squeeze The Squid.
On their new single, “Girl On The Fritz,” the band delivers a trenchant overview of relationships–the expectations, the drama, the longing, and, most frustratingly, the endless cycle that seems destined to repeat forever. Twitchy and puckish, the track is fueled by a blend of sounds that feels more like a release of pent-up frustration than a true expression, a whimsical escape you dive into almost out of self-preservation. Set for release on Friday, March 28th, this single serves as a way to indulge in these tendencies, with enough absurdity and irony to prevent us from fully sinking into its caustic mindset. Today, The Auricular is thrilled to premiere this new single with an exclusive stream below, followed by further insight into its irascible charm.
Featuring the band’s signature swirl of garage rock and psychedelic funk, “Girl On The Fritz” opens up with a roaming bass line, thumping and popping around a restless situation, which the lyrics seem to ease with their droll wit. “My girl, she’s on the fritz,” the song begins, “She’s crying in the corner\ She needs some kids\ I told Jimmy\ Better fire up the hemi,” offering a nonsensical solution to a familiar problem, setting the tone for this screwball of a track. The vibe here is undoubtedly sardonic, with lyrics loosely held together by random observations and incidents, to the point that it can feel like a string of Mitch Hedberg-style non-sequiturs–a fitting comparison, considering the legendary comic gets a nod in the lyrics with a reference to unsolicited advice from a cracker company.
At times, the song takes on a pointed snarkiness, like lamenting trying out the latest health fad just because your partner insists (“This goblin-free diet\ Got me feelin’ groovy“). Other moments feel more abstract, like simply enduring a storm until it passes (“Their opinions don’t matter\ Just shine ‘til the demons scatter“). Throughout, the band delivers plenty of musical fun, blending raving guitar lines with a punchy drum beat that lets the roaming bass and offbeat lyrics feel like they belong to the same conversation–incensed, carefree, and slightly perturbed all at once.
The origins of the song go back over a decade, with bassist and vocalist Slady Squeeze navigating relationship spats by turning the whole idea into a farce. The track feels like an apt encapsulation of this mindset, with a tone that doesn’t quite echo the typical naysayers. Instead, it comes off like a quiet instigator in the background–like a slothlike Iago, more concerned with the next laugh than the drama unfolding around him.
“Girl On The Fritz” is the first release from Squeeze The Squid since You Are back in 2021, a record with a reaffirming title that does everything to buck what one might think a “genre” is. This new single kicks off a series of releases the band has lined up for 2025, with an early preview already shared in a video for NPR’s Tiny Desk in February. Whether the song from that video will follow “Girl On The Fritz” remains to be seen, but for now, Squeeze The Squid proves they’re as plucky and sharp as ever, delivering a sound that refuses to take itself too seriously, except when it comes to making sure you listen. “Girl On The Fritz” mirrors that philosophy with its unpredictable tone and approach, so it’s best to tune into Squeeze The Squid’s quirky frequency now, and get ready for all the surprises they have in store for us in 2025.
“Girl On The Fritz” is available on all streaming platforms on Friday, March 28th. You can catch the band in concert next on Saturday, March 29th at Kindred Spirit Brewing Satellite. For more updates from Squeeze The Squid, make sure to follow them on social media.
