Boards of Canada Drop First New Song in 13 Years: Tape 05
Boards of Canada Drop First New Song in 13 Years: Tape 05
Boards of Canada return with Tape 05, their first new track in 13 years, following a cryptic teaser campaign and a wave of fan speculation.
Boards of Canada have released a new recording called “Tape 05,” marking their first new music in 13 years. The duo hasn’t released an album since 2013’s Tomorrow’s Harvest, though they’ve popped up with remixes, archival reissues, and an NTS DJ set for Warp Records’ 30th anniversary in 2019. Last month, fans were sent into a frenzy after the band mailed VHS tapes featuring their hexagonal logo, fueling talk of a comeback. A poster campaign followed, with eerie artwork that echoed the design seen on their 1998 album Music Has the Right to Children; the posters appeared in London, New York, California, and Shibuya’s Liquidroom venue. Warp, their longtime label, posted a carousel of the posters on Instagram on April 14, but there’s been no official confirmation of a new project. Tape 05 then appeared on the duo’s YouTube page on the morning of April 16, and it’s clear the track stays true to their signature sound. The song unfolds with an ambient crawl, strings, and a thick atmosphere, gradually lighting up close to the two-minute mark as warm, hopeful chords rise. This release arrives amid ongoing fan speculation about a fuller return, inviting listeners to press play and interpret the atmosphere that has defined Boards of Canada for decades.
