JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The band Boards of Canada has a new album out today. It is their first in 13 years, and it's called "Inferno."
(SOUNDBITE OF BOARDS OF CANADA SONG, "PROPHECY AT 1420 MHZ")
SUMMERS: Here to tell us about it is Andrew P. Brown from NPR member station KUTX in Austin. Hi there.
ANDREW P BROWN, BYLINE: Hi. Happy to be here.
SUMMERS: Happy to talk with you. OK, I will start with a confession. I have never heard of Boards of Canada before, so tell me who they are.
BROWN: They're a Scottish duo, two brothers, Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin, and they have a extremely dedicated cult following. You know, they haven't done any major collaborations or had any real hit songs. The people that do follow them are extremely dedicated. They've had a huge influence on artists like Radiohead. Travis Scott sampled them. They are very pervasive on Instagram, and their music comes up in TikTok stories and all kinds of stuff. So they have kind of an underground vibe that a whole new generation of people are constantly discovering and attaching themselves to.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FATHER AND SON")
BOARDS OF CANADA: Let's see. I've lost track. (Inaudible).
SUMMERS: OK, so super dedicated fan base and yet you mentioned that this album, "Inferno," is the first album by this band in 13 years. Were the fans surprised?
BROWN: Absolutely, yes. Yeah, so I - I'm kind of a nerd with Boards of Canada, so I'm in a Facebook group that...
SUMMERS: (Laughter) Yeah.
BROWN: ...Follows their every move. And when this album release started, it began with unlabeled VHS tapes arriving in people's mailboxes. But it was, like, very clearly seemed to be a Boards of Canada thing. It had their kind of symbolism on it, and when you put the tape in, it was a - chopped up videos and tones. And people are like, this feels like a Boards of Canada thing, but we don't know.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FATHER AND SON")
BOARDS OF CANADA: (Singing) Well he said (ph) (inaudible).
BROWN: That got the whole internet talking. And then that led to these giant wheatpaste posters appearing in London and Tokyo and a few other cities that still had no explanation of what was going on, but everyone was like, OK, something is happening. And for a fan base that is, like, starving for...
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: ...Starving for new material, for this to happen after 13 years was very exciting. And then soon after that, the label confirmed that there was a new album on the way. And it's kind of just been - I mean, as far as an album roll out, it has been the most exciting one I've seen this year. They really have done a good job of captivating people.
(SOUNDBITE OF BOARDS OF CANADA SONG, "BLOOD IN THE LABYRINTH")
SUMMERS: I mean, you mentioned VCRs. I don't know anyone who actually still has one, but let's move on here. For someone who is like me, new to this kind of music - I know you're a fan - how would you suggest I listen?
BROWN: I think Boards of Canada is music that is best listened to deeply. It's listened to actively. Like, they do have songs you can kind of put on in the background and enjoy, but for the most part, this album and their last album really, to me, they feel almost like watching a film, where I want to have my phone off. I want to have no distractions. I don't want to be looking at a screen because they're really able to tell a story with sound and texture and little bits of verbal samples. And it feels like the album has an arc to it, and you'll miss out on a lot of if you are easily distracted, which is, you know, easy to do with music these days.
(SOUNDBITE OF BOARDS OF CANADA SONG, "BLOOD IN THE LABYRINTH")
SUMMERS: Andrew P. Brown, from KUTX in Austin, thank you so much for telling us about Boards of Canada.
BROWN: My pleasure.
SUMMERS: The band's new album, "Inferno," is out today, and you can hear more in-depth conversations about incredible new albums that are out this week on today's episode of New Music Friday from NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF BOARDS OF CANADA SONG, "BLOOD IN THE LABYRINTH") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
