Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Boards of Canada Return with “Introit” and “Prophecy At 1420 MHz” from Inferno
Boards of Canada return with "Introit" and "Prophecy At 1420 MHz", the opening pair from Inferno—their first album since 2013's Tomorrow's Harvest.
Boards of Canada have surfaced with a proper lead single: the pair of opening tracks from Inferno, “Introit” and “Prophecy At 1420 MHz”, arriving ahead of their first album since Tomorrow’s Harvest in 2013.
The rollout has been characteristically low-key and tactile. Last month the Scottish electronic duo mailed a mysterious VHS tape to fans, shared a short excerpt of new material, and then formally announced Inferno. Today that tease resolves into two concrete pieces of music that set the tone for what feels like a careful, late-stage chapter for the group.
“Introit” lives up to its name: a direct 36-second opener that functions as a palate-cleanser and a hint of things to come. The momentum picks up immediately on “Prophecy At 1420 MHz”, which unfolds as an ominous midtempo groove with the aesthetic of a high-tech late ’90s spy film. Its narration comes from a computerized voice that skews the track toward something both cinematic and clinical.
Sonically, this is neither a throwback to the hip-hop-tinged psychedelic experiments of Boards of Canada’s early material nor a straightforward continuation of the more searching ambient textures they explored later. It occupies a middle ground — concise, evocative, and designed to leave fans wanting more. For anyone who has been waiting through a decade-plus between albums, these two tracks are likely to feel like the first proper fix in a long time.
The music is accompanied by a video directed by Robert Beatty, the artist and designer whose sleeve work has become part of the visual shorthand for contemporary underground electronic records. His involvement underlines how the release is as much about mood and design as it is about melody.
Inferno is due 5/29 on Warp. Pre-order it %%LINK:https://bleep.com/boards-of-canada-inferno?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_campaign=BOC%20-%20Inferno&_kx=2D7QJBd5ulgEIjpairOIWLhMRuScHKOvL0VR8HcgAJk.Rwheqg|here%%. The band will stage seven worldwide album premieres dubbed the Inferno Sessions on 5/22 in Tokyo, Berlin, Barcelona, London, Glasgow, New York and Los Angeles, and local record stores will host listening parties on 5/28.
Whether these two opening pieces presage a warmer, stranger, or more formal direction across the rest of the record remains to be heard. What they do, at minimum, is confirm that Boards of Canada are still interested in shaping an atmosphere around their music — and in taking time to do it on their own terms.
