Boards of Canada end a 13-year silence with new album Inferno on Warp Records

Boards of Canada new album Inferno is finally here

Boards of Canada have ended one of the longest waits in electronic music. Inferno, the Boards of Canada duo's first studio album in 13 years, arrived in full via Warp Records at midnight, and according to Billboard, almost nobody had circled this date on their calendars. That alone makes it one of the more quietly seismic drops in recent memory.

Eighteen tracks, seventy minutes

The record is a double set running to 70 minutes across 18 tracks. It opens with two previously released cuts, "Introit" and "Prophecy At 1420 MHz," before expanding into territory that Billboard describes as "expansive, at times joyful, and exotic, at others post-apocalyptic." Those looking for something club-ready are warned off early.

Highlights that stand out on early listens include:

• "You Retreat In Time And Space", which reportedly captures the feel of an ancient British cathedral.
• "Arena Americanada", described as familiar and inquisitive.
• "Age of Capricorn", built around a sampled voice that will send dedicated fans searching.
• "Father And Son", the most dialogue-driven piece Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin have committed to record, layering samples into what Billboard calls "a quilt of electronica."

The long road back

Inferno follows Tomorrow's Harvest, released in 2013, which peaked at No. 7 in the United Kingdom (their first top 10 entry there) and at No. 13 on the Billboard 200, their debut on the all-genres U.S. albums chart. The siblings offered a partial signal of life in 2019 when "XYZ," a previously unreleased track from their Peel Session of July 1998, appeared on the Warp Records 30th anniversary package WXAXRXP Sessions. That, it turns out, was the extent of the comeback teasing.

Sandison and Eoin remain as guarded as ever. They rarely perform and almost never speak to the press, and there is no indication that Inferno changes that posture.

Formats and availability

The album is available on CD and digital platforms, standard black 2xLP vinyl, and a special edition limited red translucent 2xLP in a triple-gatefold sleeve with a 16-page booklet. More details at Warp.net.