The enigmatic Scottish electronic duo Boards of Canada have officially signaled their return, releasing the first taste of music from their highly anticipated comeback album, Inferno. Fans can now experience the double A-side release featuring the tracks "Introit" and "Prophecy At 1420 MHz," both of which offer a glimpse into the duo's first full-length project in over 13 years.
Scheduled for release on May 29 via Warp Records, Inferno serves as the 18-track successor to the critically acclaimed 2013 edm landmark, Tomorrow’s Harvest. The new album will be available across multiple physical formats and digital platforms.
The two new tracks showcase the signature atmospheric depth that has defined the duo's career. "Introit" functions as a spectral prelude, characterized by retro-futurist synth textures that set a mysterious tone. In contrast, "Prophecy At 1420 MHz" is a hypnotic, slow-burning composition. Its title references the deep space frequency famously associated with the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), featuring mutated vocals that drift through layers of analog static.
The visual accompaniment for these tracks, directed by Robert Beatty, can be viewed below:
A Cryptic Path to 'Inferno'
The road to this announcement was paved with the kind of cryptic marketing for which Boards of Canada are renowned. A global poster campaign featuring designs reminiscent of their 1998 debut, Music Has The Right To Children, was recently spotted in major cities including London, New York, California, and Tokyo's Shibuya district.
Beyond the physical posters, the duo engaged their dedicated fanbase through a series of analog and digital clues. Reports surfaced of fans receiving mysterious VHS tapes embossed with the band’s iconic hexagon logo. These tapes reportedly contained audio from an advertisement for a defunct Christian bible school magazine that ceased publication in 1991, a relic of the 1980s and early 90s era. Additionally, a long-dormant website associated with the band was updated with a Morse code message translating to "nobody home..."
While the duo has remained largely silent since their last album, they have occasionally surfaced for archival reissues, remixes, and a notable NTS DJ mix. However, Inferno marks their first cohesive statement in over a decade. Critics previously noted that while contemporaries like Daft Punk leaned into sunshine and high-profile collaborations, Boards of Canada remained masters of the "dark, often uncomfortable affair," a sentiment that seems to persist in these new recordings.