bocpages | Boards of Canada wiki - User contributions [en]

Happy Cycling

2026-06-01T23:10:16Z

EnumeratedEntity: Added suspected sample source for the "stretching rope" sound

"[[Happy Cycling]]" redirects here.

For the earlier composition which appears on [[Old Tunes Vol. 1]], see "[[Happy Cycling (A Few Old Tunes)]]".

{{Infobox Song|
| name=Happy Cycling
| runtime=7:56 ([[MHTRTC]] and [[Peel Session]] EP) 7:01 (original [[Peel Session|John Peel broadcast]] - "Bad Day") 7:27 ([[Live @ Warp10]]) 7:55 ([[Live @ ATP]])
| appearson=[[MHTRTC]] [[Peel Session]] [[Live @ Warp10]] [[Live @ ATP]]}}

[[Happy Cycling]] is a track by [[Boards of Canada]] which originally appeared as a bonus track on the US [[Matadorrecords.com|Matador]] release of ''[[Music Has the Right to Children]]'' in 1998, and was later included on all copies of the album from 2004 onwards. The same recording of the track also appears on [[Boards of Canada]]'s 1999 ''[[Peel Session]]'' EP.

== Comments ==
* [Alex D] - There is an electronic music company called [http://www.cycling74.com/ cycling 74], who make MAX/MSP among other things; and it could just possibly be a reference to that.
*[Mark S] - Many have suspected the title as being a reference to Albert Hofmann's trip on LSD known as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_LSD Bicycle Day].
*[Forfy] - The ''[[Peel Session]]'' version was used in season two, episode twelve of Six Feet Under.

== Studio Version ==
The studio version of [[Happy Cycling]] was first released on the US [[Matadorrecords.com|Matador]] release of ''[[Music Has the Right to Children]]'' in 1998. It was later included on [[Boards of Canada]]'s ''[[Peel Session]]'' EP in 1999, replacing the live version of the track that [[Boards of Canada]] performed during their appearance on [[John Peel (radio programme)|John Peel's radio programme]] in 1998.

=== Samples / Lyrics ===
* The bass drum beat and dissonant note heard at the beginning and throughout the song are sampled from [[wikipedia:Pink Floyd|Pink Floyd]]'s "Heart Beat, Pig Meat"<ref>{{#ev:youtube|AGLX5CglVGY|480||||start=15|false}}</ref> at 0:15. This sample can be heard better in "[[Bad Day]]".
* The eerie choir heard throughout much of "[[Happy Cycling]]" is sampled from [[wikipedia:Norman Jewison|Norman Jewison]]'s [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070239/ Jesus Christ Superstar], specifically "[https://youtu.be/nAL0Y0PxJFc?t=64 The Crucifixion]" from roughly 1:04. The sample has also been reversed. This can be heard best in the version performed at ATP. <ref>{{#ev:youtube|nAL0Y0PxJFc|480||||start=64|false}}</ref>
* The bird calls are sampled from "[[wikipedia:Vangelis|Vangelis]] - [[wikipedia:La Fête sauvage|La Fête sauvage]]". There is also a sound like a man singing, rather faint and tinny. Sample starts at 2:43.<ref>http://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13680</ref><ref>{{#ev:youtube|4d6T-6fNAiM|480||||start=162|false}}</ref>
* The backmasked vocals beginning at 6:25 are of an interview with [[wikipedia:Jeff Lynne|Jeff Lynne]] of the [[wikipedia:Electric Light Orchestra|Electric Light Orchestra]] on "[[wikipedia:Rockline|Rockline]]" hosted by Bob Coburn on 27 June 1983<ref>http://www.elodiscovery.com/Jeff-Lynne-Electric-Light-Orchestra-Interviews2.html</ref>. The subject is [[wikipedia:Electric Light Orchestra|ELO]]'s supposed use of backmasking on their song "[[wikipedia:Eldorado (Electric Light Orchestra song)|Eldorado]]" from the [[wikipedia:Eldorado (Electric Light Orchestra album)|album of the same name]], and the controversy thereof. Though the vocals are occasionally difficult to understand when reversed, the following transcript is relatively complete:
:(Interviewer's voice): ''"... to tell us about backwards masking ??? and the [[wikipedia:Electric Light Orchestra|Electric Light Orchestra]]. A whole crowd of ... got all ... because they thought that if ... but, when it was hand-spun backwards on a turntable, and it said something like 'Christ is inferno'. Anyway, it was enough to ... cause some problems for [[wikipedia:Electric Light Orchestra|ELO]] and [[wikipedia:Jeff Lynne|Jeff Lynne]] in particular."''
:([[wikipedia:Jeff Lynne|Jeff Lynne]]'s voice): ''"It is absolutely ...don't ask why I said that. It didn't say anything, anything of the sort. And uhm, that was total...in fact, it was a mistake, isn't it. Because anyone who can write a song played forwards and have it say something else backwards has got to be some kind of genius, and that I ain't! I was upset at first by the accusations, you know, but now, but now I would find them funny ... we're totally innocent of all those claims ... and we're all God-fearing chaps!"''<ref>[[File:Happy-cycling-elo-backmask.mp3]]</ref><ref>http://www.elodiscovery.com/interviews/1983-jeff-lynne-rockline.mp3</ref>
* Suspected sample source for the "stretching rope" sound in a [https://www.reddit.com/r/boardsofcanada/comments/1tlvilt/did_boards_of_canada_sample_a_1999_madonna/ 1999 Madonna interview with Larry King].

== Original John Peel Broadcast ("Bad Day") ==
This version (sometimes referred to as "Bad Day") was recorded live for [[Boards of Canada]]'s [[wikipedia:List_of_Peel_Sessions|Peel Session]] on July 21st 1998. It differs from the studio version in a number of ways including a different outro, and has a generally rougher sound compared to the studio version. It also lacks the backmasked [[wikipedia:Jeff Lynne|Jeff Lynne]] interview sample present in the studio version. When [[Boards of Canada]] released the ''[[Peel Session]]'' EP in 1999, the original broadcast version of [[Happy Cycling]] was replaced by the studio version, allegedly due to [[Boards of Canada]] being dissatisfied with their performance of the track, hence the nickname "Bad Day". Although it has never been officially released it is widely available online.

{{#widget:YouTube|id=C_7oHpihs-c}}

== Live @ Warp10 ==
[[Boards of Canada]] performed [[Happy Cycling]] live during [[Live @ Warp10|their performance at Warp's 10th anniversary party]] on November 5th 1999. This version differs somewhat from the other versions, but for the most part is just a more polished performance of the version broadcast on [[John Peel (radio programme)|John Peel]], although the intro is different, starting with the droning choir sample on its own before the drums enter.

{{#widget:YouTube|id=PjFlWBBiM9k}}

== Live @ ATP ==
[[Happy Cycling]] was also performed live by [[Boards of Canada]] during [[Live @ ATP|their set]] at the [[wikipedia:All_Tomorrow%27s_Parties_(festival)|All Tomorrow's Parties]] festival on April 7th 2001. This version differs substantially from the other versions. While it starts similarly to the ''[[Live @ Warp10]]'' version, the second half of the ATP version is structured differently, with the bassline for the second part entering 16 bars before the main synth melody does. The main melody also uses a different synth lead sound to all other versions.

{{#widget:YouTube|id=4KOQO90w1uY}}

== Trivia ==
*A shorter version of the recent one also appears in ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ-Kicks:_Kid_Loco Kid Loco's DJ-Kicks]''.
*Another shorter (mixed) version appears in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Underground_024:_Reykjavik Nick Warren - Global Underground 024: Reykjavik]''.

== Videos ==
{{#widget:YouTube|id=MEFSU7WeZt0}}
{{#widget:YouTube|id=ua12L3-96rE}}
{{#widget:YouTube|id=IxT26A82f7g}}
{{#widget:YouTube|id=ggjkljLrtJI}}

== See Also ==
* [[Happy Cycling (A Few Old Tunes)]]

== External Links ==
*[[wikipedia:Backmasking]]
*[[wikipedia:Electric_light_orchestra Electric]]
*[[wikipedia:Jeff_Lynne]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070239/ Norman Jewison's "Jesus Christ Superstar"] on IMDB

== References ==
<references />

[[Category: Released tracks]]
[[Category: Music Has the Right to Children tracks]]
[[Category: Peel Session tracks]]
[[Category: Live @ Warp10 tracks]]
[[Category: All Tomorrow's Parties tracks]]

Inferno

2026-06-01T22:29:27Z

EnumeratedEntity: /* Trivia */

{{Infobox Release|
| name=Inferno
| cover=Inferno cover.jpg
| release_date=29 May 2026
| format=Gatefold 2xLP Deluxe 2xLP + Flexi Disc CD Cassette Digital Merch Bundles
| label=Warp Records
| catno=WARP496
| runtime=69:51 70:00 (Continuous Mix)
}}

'''''Inferno''''' is the fifth studio album by [[Boards of Canada]], released on May 29th, 2026, via [[Warp Records]]. It comes thirteen years after their previous album, ''[[Tomorrow's Harvest]]'', the band's longest gap between albums to date.

__TOC__

{{WIP}}
== Tracks ==
All tracks are written and produced by [[Mike Sandison]].<ref>https://www.discogs.com/release/37423158-Boards-Of-Canada-Inferno</ref>

# "[[Introit]]" – 0:36
# "[[Prophecy At 1420 MHz]]" – 5:04
# "[[Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan]]" – 4:44
# "[[Age Of Capricorn]]" – 3:52
# "[[Father And Son]]" – 3:24
# "[[Somewhere Right Now In The Future]]" – 2:26
# "[[Naraka]]" – 5:01
# "[[Acts Of Magic]]" – 1:18
# "[[Memory Death]]" – 2:37
# "[[The Word Becomes Flesh]]" – 5:20
# "[[Into The Magic Land]]" – 4:35
# "[[Blood In The Labyrinth]]" – 4:55
# "[[Deep Time]]" – 3:18
# "[[All Reason Departs]]" – 6:14
# "[[Arena Americanada]]" – 5:22
# "[[The Process]]" – 3:01
# "[[You Retreat In Time And Space]]" – 5:25
# "[[I Saw Through Platonia]]" – 2:39
Bonus flexi disc (Red 2LP vinyl edition only):
# "[[Vol.4 - P. Primers - 177 Giraud's Mirror]]" – 3:24 ''

== Leadup ==

''Main article: [[Road to Inferno]]''

Speculation for the album's release preceded its official announcement by over a decade, with the band and its associates sparsely giving out new information. Activity notably increased in 2025, including the band's Instagram account [[Road_to_Inferno#Instagram_Likes|liking comments related to a new album]], a [[Tomorrow's Harvest]]-era [[Cosecha-transmisiones.com|website]] [[Road_to_Inferno#Cosecha_Transmisiones|coming online once again]], and [[Road_to_Inferno#New_Merchandise|new merchandise being put on sale]]. For a more detailed look on the band's activities during this period, see the article [[Road to Inferno]].

== Promotional Campaign ==
''Main article: [[2026 Promo Campaign]]''

In early April 2026, multiple fans received unmarked VHS tapes through the mail, with sender addresses related to [[Warp Records|Warp]] and their online storefront [[Bleep.com|Bleep]]. About a week after, posters with imagery reminiscent of the band started appearing in multiple places around the UK and US. For an in-depth look at the days preceding the album's announcement, see the article [[2026 Promo Campaign]].

== Title and Themes ==

As a word, ''Inferno'' references hell and places reminiscent of it. It is the most explicit reference to religion and the occult since their 2002 album ''[[Geogaddi]]'' and 2000 EP ''[[In a Beautiful Place out in the Country (release)|In a Beautiful Place out in the Country]]''. The album's titles also heavily refer to concepts in cosmology and physics.

* An "[[Introit]]" is a song or psalm that is sung or recited at the beginning of a Christian mass.
* "[[Father And Son]]" could reference the Holy Trinity, which consists of the two and The Holy Spirit.
* "[[The Word Becomes Flesh]]" is a quotation from [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201:14&version=NIV verse 1:14] of the Gospel of John.
* "[[Naraka]]" references the realm of hell seen in Indian religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism.
* "[[The Process]]" could refer to the Process Church of the Final Judgement, a new religious movement which briefly existed in the 1960s and 70s. ''The Process'' was the title of their magazine.
* "[[Prophecy At 1420 MHz]]" references the hydrogen line, a specific wavelength of radiation emitted by hydrogen as it undergoes a quantum transition. It has been used to investigate the properties of the universe, and search for extraterrestrial life.
* "[[Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan]]" refers to the first three elements of the periodic table and the mythical sea creature.
* "[[Age Of Capricorn]]" refers to the tenth sign of the astrological zodiac, and is the astrological age that follows the Age of Aquarius.
* "[[I Saw Through Platonia]]" could refer to a concept by Julian Barbour of a realm called Platonia, which contains every possible configuration of the universe.

== Trivia ==

* ''[[Inferno]]'' has been assigned the catalog number [https://warp.net/releases/590960-inferno/tracklist WARP496]. This seems to be a deliberate request from the band themselves, as preceding [[Warp]] releases such as Squarepusher's [https://warp.net/releases/576448-kammerkonzert/ Kammerkonzert] and Oneohtrix Point Never's [https://warp.net/releases/552598-tranquilizer/ Tranquilizer] have catalog numbers of 417 and 411, respectively.
** 496 is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_number perfect number] and a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexagonal_number hexagonal number].
** 496 also holds significance in gematria (Jewish numerology). Representing Kingdom (Malkhut / מלכות). It should be further noted that 496 is the 31st Triangle number, which holds further significance as 31 is the gematria of the word God (El / אֵל).
* The Continuous Mix version runs for exactly 70 minutes. This seems to be deliberate, as 70 has carried meaning to the band in the past. For example:
** [[Music70]] is the name of [[Mike Sandison|Mike]] and [[Marcus Eoin|Marcus]]'s own label.
** [[Sixtyten]] from [[Music Has the Right to Children|MHTRTC]] reads out as 70.
** [[The Smallest Weird Number]] from [[Geogaddi]] directly refers to 70, which is the smallest [[wikipedia:Weird number|weird number]]. Even though the track runs for 1:17, it cuts out at exactly 1:10, which is 70 seconds.
** On May 27th, 2026, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House White House] posted an [https://www.instagram.com/p/DY3U5XEjg24/ uncredited marketing video] for the Trump Administration that featured an audio excerpt from [[Tape 05]]/[[Deep Time]] with a familiar degraded VHS tape aesthetic, receiving outrage from the band's community of listeners and followers. See also [[White House Incident]].

== Release Notes ==
All personnel credits adapted from ''[[Inferno]]'s liner notes.<ref>https://www.discogs.com/release/37423158-Boards-Of-Canada-Inferno</ref>

* [[Mike Sandison]] – electronics, synths, tapes, programming, audio evocations, drums, percussion, guitars, bass, string instruments, processes, sound design
* [[Marcus Eoin]] – electronics, synths, tapes, processes, sound design
* [[Boards of Canada]] – recording, artwork, films, photo collage, design
* [https://www.thisismetropolis.com/engineers/matt-colton/ Matt Colton]  – mastering engineer

== See Also ==
* [[Road to Inferno]]
* [[2026 Promo Campaign]]
* [[Inferno listening parties]]
* [[Discography]]
* [[Timeline]]
* [[Statements from Hexagon Sun]]

== External Links ==
=== Forums ===
* [https://forum.keyosc.com/topic/1980-inferno-may-29-2026/ Keyosc discussion: "Inferno" May 29 2026]
* [https://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15631 Twoism discussion: General New Release Speculation Topic Part II]
* [https://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16008 Twoism discussion: LP5 - Inferno]
* [https://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16027 Twoism discussion: Inferno Sessions]
* [https://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16126 Twoism discussion: Interno Reviews]

=== Press ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! publication !! article
|-
| Asatunews || [https://www.asatunews.co.id/en/boards-canada-announces-new-album Boards of Canada Announces New Album Inferno for May Release]
|-
| Billboard || [https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/boards-of-canada-inferno-stream-it-now-1236259803/ After a Prolonged Absence, Boards of Canada Fires-Up With ‘Inferno’ - Stream It Now]
|-
| Billboard || [https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/boards-of-canada-new-album-inferno-1236229593/ Boards of Canada set new album 'inferno']
|-
| Clash Magazine || [https://www.clashmusic.com/news/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno/ Boards Of Canada Announce New Album ‘Inferno’]
|-
| Consequence Sound || [https://consequence.net/2026/04/boards-of-canada-inferno-new-album/ Boards of Canada Announce New Album Inferno]
|-
| DJ Mag || [https://djmag.com/news/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno Boards Of Canada announce new album, ‘Inferno’]
|-
| Igloo Magazine || [https://igloomag.com/newswire/boards-of-canada-announce-inferno-warp Boards of Canada announce Inferno (Warp) — May 29, 2026]
|-
| MusicRadar || [https://www.musicradar.com/artists/boards-of-canada-dayvan-cowboy-repub “It’s like you are witnessing the fading of your own memories”: How Boards of Canada brewed a serene genre-blurring classic]
|-
| NME || [https://www.nme.com/news/music/boards-of-canada-announce-inferno-their-first-album-in-13-years-3941899 Boards Of Canada announce ‘Inferno’ – their first album in 13 years]
|-
| Opus || [https://opus.ing/p/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-titled-inferno Boards of Canada Announce New Album Titled Inferno]
|-
| Pitchfork || [https://pitchfork.com/news/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno/ Boards of Canada Reveal New Album Inferno]
|-
| Resident Advisor || [https://nl.ra.co/news/85026 Boards of Canada confirm new album, Inferno]
|-
| Rockshit Magazine || [https://rockshotmagazine.com/boards-of-canada-announce-long-awaited-new-album-inferno/ Boards Of Canada Announce Long-Awaited New Album ‘Inferno’]
|-
| Stereogum || [https://stereogum.com/2496646/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno/news Boards Of Canada Announce New Album Inferno]
|-
| The Line of Best Fit || [https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/boards-of-canada-reveal-details-of-inferno-first-new-album-in-13-years Boards of Canada reveal details of Inferno, first new album in 13 years]
|-
| The Quietus || [https://thequietus.com/news/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno/ Boards Of Canada Detail New Album, ‘Inferno’]
|-
| We Rave You || [https://weraveyou.com/2026/04/boards-of-canada-inferno-album-2026/ Boards of Canada announce new album ‘Inferno’ after 13-year break]
|}

=== Reviews ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! score !! favorable !! publication !! foreign !! lang !! writer !! link !! paywall !! notes
|-
| 10 || yes || The Herald || no || EN || Barry Didcock || [https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/26119902.indepth-review-boards-canada-inferno-five-star-return/ review] || yes || ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 10 || yes || musicOMH || no || EN || Steven Johnson || [https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/boards-of-canada-inferno review] || yes || ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 10 || yes || Europe Says || no || EN || n/a || [https://www.europesays.com/canada/57411/ review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 9 || yes || Uncut || no || EN || Michael Bonner || [https://bsky.app/profile/uncutmagazine.bsky.social/post/3mmbyeuto722l review] || yes || album of the month
|-
| 9 || yes || Clash || no || EN || Sam Walker-Smart || [https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| 9 || yes || Sound of Violence || yes || FR || Franck Narquin || [https://www.soundofviolence.net/articles/album/6413/boards_of_canada_inferno.html review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
|-
| 9 || yes || File Under Fire || no || EN || Matt Young || [https://fileunderfire.com/album-reviews/is-boards-of-canadas-inferno-the-soundtrack-of-the-end-times-we-deserve/ review] || no ||
|-
| 9 || yes || Beats Per Minute || no || EN || Todd Deman || [https://beatsperminute.com/album-review-boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no || 90%
|-
| 9 || yes || Under The Radar || no || EN || Tobias Furlong || [https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/inferno_boards_of_canada review] || no ||
|-
| 9 || yes || Northern Transmissions || no || EN || Erin Macleod || [https://northerntransmissions.com/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| 8,6 || yes || Pitchfork || no || EN || Philip Sherburne || [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || yes || best new music
|-
| 8,5 || yes || Boolin Tunes || no || EN || Dobbin T || [https://boolintunes.com/reviews/album-review-boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| 8 || yes || Paste Magazine || no || EN || Grant Sharples || [https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/joanna-newsom/may-27-is-now-joanna-newsom-day review] || no || B
|-
| 8 || yes || The Scotsman || no || EN || Fiona Shepherd || [https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/music/album-reviews-boards-of-canada-inferno-the-coral-radhika-autoleisureland-8636190 review] || yes || ⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 8 || yes || The Skinny || no || EN || Lewis Wade || [https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/boards-of-canada-inferno review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 8 || yes || Mojo || no || EN || Andrew Male || [https://www.mojo4music.com/reviews/new-music/boards-of-canada-inferno-review-enigmatic-duo-turn-their-focus-to-the-present/ review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 8 || yes || Exclaim || no || EN || Daryl Keating || [https://exclaim.ca/music/rarticle/boards-of-canada-inferno-album-review review] || no ||
|-
| 7 || yes || Far Out Magazine || no || EN || Tom Phelan || [https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/boards-of-canada-inferno-album-review/ review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐½
|-
| 7 || yes || Our Culture || no || EN || Konstantinos Pappis || [https://ourculturemag.com/2026/05/28/album-review-boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐½
|-
| 6 || no || NRC || yes || NL || Jonasz Dekkers || [https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/05/29/boards-of-canada-is-eindelijk-terug-bleachers-gooit-alle-registers-open-en-jan-vriend-heeft-een-nieuwe-voltreffer-a4928823?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=clipboard&utm_campaign=share&utm_term=share-modal&gift_token=49288233~1780762052~t53zRDOtRtCzEct0DTNzGw~ne8S1d9iDEQYNOwTgGgpXKP3-Or7TcOCOSqq5FV6Ihs review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 6 || no || Mondo Sonoro || yes || ES || Lluís S. Ceprián || [https://www.mondosonoro.com/criticas/discos-musica/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Igloo Magazine || no || EN || Kent Williams || [https://igloomag.com/reviews/boards-of-canada-inferno-warp review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Treble || no || EN || Adam Blyweiss || [https://www.treblezine.com/boards-of-canada-inferno-review/ review] || no || album of the week
|-
| n/a || yes || Anxious Musick Magazine || yes || PL || Karol Mazurek || [https://anxiousmagazine.pl/recenzje/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Chaos Reign || yes || FR || Romain Le Vern || [https://www.chaosreign.fr/inferno-le-nouvel-album-de-boards-of-canada-critique-review-avis-une-merveille-crepusculaire/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Nieuwste Hits || yes || NL || Jeroen Seegers || [https://nieuwstehits.nl/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || The Quietus || no || EN || Sereptie || [https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || DJ Mag || no || EN || Ben Cardew || [https://djmag.com/reviews/boards-of-canada-inferno review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || The Wall Street Journal || no || EN || Mark Richardson || [https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/inferno-by-boards-of-canada-review-bleak-and-beautiful-167e6e07 review] || yes ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Resident Advisor || no || EN || Sasha Geffen || [https://de.ra.co/reviews/36354 review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Attack Magazine || no || EN || Adam Douglas || [https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/columns/what-happened-at-boards-of-canadas-inferno-tokyo-listening-session/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Juno Daily || no || EN || Charlie Wright || [https://www.juno.co.uk/junodaily/2026/05/23/boards-of-canadas-inferno-album-first-listen-review/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || OOR || yes || NL || Koen Poolman || [https://oor.nl/albums/inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || taz.on weekend || yes || DE || Julian Weber || [https://taz.de/!6177981/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || The Pop Corporation || no || EN || ? || [https://thepopcorps.co.uk/2026/05/25/review-boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Sustratro || yes || ES || Miguel Pardo || [https://www.sustrato.io/textos/mantras-para-un-mundo-en-llamas-reflexiones-en-torno-a-inferno-de-boards-of-canada review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Dagens Nyheter || yes || SE || Mattias Dahlström || [https://www.dn.se/kultur/boards-of-canadas-comeback-var-vard-all-vantan/ review] || no || ⭐⭐
|-
| n/a || ? || Loud And Quiet || no || EN || Sam Walton || [https://loudandquiet.substack.com/p/boards-of-canada-inferno-album-review review] || no || ⭐⭐
|-
| 4 || no || Financial Times || no || EN || Ludovic Hunter-Tilney || [https://www.ft.com/content/af214775-519b-4c94-8db7-6b5207cc70bd?syn-25a6b1a6=1 review] || yes || ⭐⭐
|-
| 4 || no || The Guardian || no || EN || Ben Beaumont-Thomas || [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/may/23/boards-of-canada-inferno-review-after-13-years-away-their-prodigal-return-is-a-big-disappointment review] || no ||
|-
| 4 || no || The Arts Desk || no || EN || Ibi Keita || [https://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/boards-canada-channel-dante-inferno-seem-even-more-lost review] || no ||
|}

=== Shops ===
* [https://www.crashrecords.co.uk/products/boards-of-canada-inferno-pre-order Crash Records]
* [https://www.hhv.de/en/records/item/boards-of-canada-inferno-1392710 HHV]
* [https://www.jumborecords.co.uk/music-single.asp?product_id=WARPCD496 Jumbo Records]
* [https://www.normanrecords.com/records/215515-boards-of-canada-inferno Norman Records]
* [https://www.roughtrade.com/en-de/artist/boards-of-canada Rough Trade]
* [https://thevaultcollectiveltd.co.uk/products/boards-of-canada-inferno The Vault Collective ltd]

=== Various ===
* [https://warp.net/artists/boards-of-canada Boards of Canada on Warp Records]
* [https://bleep.com/boards-of-canada Boards of Canada on Bleep]

== References ==
<references />

== Artwork ==
The listing below is generated dynamically, based on: [[:Category: Inferno artwork]].

<DynamicPageList>
category = Inferno artwork
namespace=file
ordermethod = created
imagewidth=104
galleryshowfilesize=yes
galleryshowfilename=yes
imagesperrow=6
mode=gallery
</DynamicPageList>

{{Nav-Releases}}

[[Category: Inferno]]

Inferno

2026-06-01T18:29:11Z

EnumeratedEntity: Added note under Trivia section for the "White House Incident"

{{Infobox Release|
| name=Inferno
| cover=Inferno cover.jpg
| release_date=29 May 2026
| format=Gatefold 2xLP Deluxe 2xLP + Flexi Disc CD Cassette Digital Merch Bundles
| label=Warp Records
| catno=WARP496
| runtime=69:51 70:00 (Continuous Mix)
}}

'''''Inferno''''' is the fifth studio album by [[Boards of Canada]], released on May 29th, 2026, via [[Warp Records]]. It comes thirteen years after their previous album, ''[[Tomorrow's Harvest]]'', the band's longest gap between albums to date.

__TOC__

{{WIP}}
== Tracks ==
All tracks are written and produced by [[Mike Sandison]].<ref>https://www.discogs.com/release/37423158-Boards-Of-Canada-Inferno</ref>

# "[[Introit]]" – 0:36
# "[[Prophecy At 1420 MHz]]" – 5:04
# "[[Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan]]" – 4:44
# "[[Age Of Capricorn]]" – 3:52
# "[[Father And Son]]" – 3:24
# "[[Somewhere Right Now In The Future]]" – 2:26
# "[[Naraka]]" – 5:01
# "[[Acts Of Magic]]" – 1:18
# "[[Memory Death]]" – 2:37
# "[[The Word Becomes Flesh]]" – 5:20
# "[[Into The Magic Land]]" – 4:35
# "[[Blood In The Labyrinth]]" – 4:55
# "[[Deep Time]]" – 3:18
# "[[All Reason Departs]]" – 6:14
# "[[Arena Americanada]]" – 5:22
# "[[The Process]]" – 3:01
# "[[You Retreat In Time And Space]]" – 5:25
# "[[I Saw Through Platonia]]" – 2:39
Bonus flexi disc (Red 2LP vinyl edition only):
# "[[Vol.4 - P. Primers - 177 Giraud's Mirror]]" – 3:24 ''

== Leadup ==

''Main article: [[Road to Inferno]]''

Speculation for the album's release preceded its official announcement by over a decade, with the band and its associates sparsely giving out new information. Activity notably increased in 2025, including the band's Instagram account [[Road_to_Inferno#Instagram_Likes|liking comments related to a new album]], a [[Tomorrow's Harvest]]-era [[Cosecha-transmisiones.com|website]] [[Road_to_Inferno#Cosecha_Transmisiones|coming online once again]], and [[Road_to_Inferno#New_Merchandise|new merchandise being put on sale]]. For a more detailed look on the band's activities during this period, see the article [[Road to Inferno]].

== Promotional Campaign ==
''Main article: [[2026 Promo Campaign]]''

In early April 2026, multiple fans received unmarked VHS tapes through the mail, with sender addresses related to [[Warp Records|Warp]] and their online storefront [[Bleep.com|Bleep]]. About a week after, posters with imagery reminiscent of the band started appearing in multiple places around the UK and US. For an in-depth look at the days preceding the album's announcement, see the article [[2026 Promo Campaign]].

== Title and Themes ==

As a word, ''Inferno'' references hell and places reminiscent of it. It is the most explicit reference to religion and the occult since their 2002 album ''[[Geogaddi]]'' and 2000 EP ''[[In a Beautiful Place out in the Country (release)|In a Beautiful Place out in the Country]]''. The album's titles also heavily refer to concepts in cosmology and physics.

* An "[[Introit]]" is a song or psalm that is sung or recited at the beginning of a Christian mass.
* "[[Father And Son]]" could reference the Holy Trinity, which consists of the two and The Holy Spirit.
* "[[The Word Becomes Flesh]]" is a quotation from [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201:14&version=NIV verse 1:14] of the Gospel of John.
* "[[Naraka]]" references the realm of hell seen in Indian religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism.
* "[[The Process]]" could refer to the Process Church of the Final Judgement, a new religious movement which briefly existed in the 1960s and 70s. ''The Process'' was the title of their magazine.
* "[[Prophecy At 1420 MHz]]" references the hydrogen line, a specific wavelength of radiation emitted by hydrogen as it undergoes a quantum transition. It has been used to investigate the properties of the universe, and search for extraterrestrial life.
* "[[Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan]]" refers to the first three elements of the periodic table and the mythical sea creature.
* "[[Age Of Capricorn]]" refers to the tenth sign of the astrological zodiac, and is the astrological age that follows the Age of Aquarius.
* "[[I Saw Through Platonia]]" could refer to a concept by Julian Barbour of a realm called Platonia, which contains every possible configuration of the universe.

== Trivia ==

* ''[[Inferno]]'' has been assigned the catalog number [https://warp.net/releases/590960-inferno/tracklist WARP496]. This seems to be a deliberate request from the band themselves, as preceding [[Warp]] releases such as Squarepusher's [https://warp.net/releases/576448-kammerkonzert/ Kammerkonzert] and Oneohtrix Point Never's [https://warp.net/releases/552598-tranquilizer/ Tranquilizer] have catalog numbers of 417 and 411, respectively.
** 496 is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_number perfect number] and a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexagonal_number hexagonal number].
** 496 also holds significance in gematria (Jewish numerology). Representing Kingdom (Malkhut / מלכות). It should be further noted that 496 is the 31st Triangle number, which holds further significance as 31 is the gematria of the word God (El / אֵל).
* The Continuous Mix version runs for exactly 70 minutes. This seems to be deliberate, as 70 has carried meaning to the band in the past. For example:
** [[Music70]] is the name of [[Mike Sandison|Mike]] and [[Marcus Eoin|Marcus]]'s own label.
** [[Sixtyten]] from [[Music Has the Right to Children|MHTRTC]] reads out as 70.
** [[The Smallest Weird Number]] from [[Geogaddi]] directly refers to 70, which is the smallest [[wikipedia:Weird number|weird number]]. Even though the track runs for 1:17, it cuts out at exactly 1:10, which is 70 seconds.
** On May 27th, 2026, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House White House] posted an [https://www.instagram.com/p/DY3U5XEjg24/ uncredited marketing video] for the Trump Administration that featured an audio excerpt from [[Tape 05]]/[[Deep Time]] with a familiar degraded VHS tape aesthetic, receiving outrage from the fan community. See also [[White House Incident]].

== Release Notes ==
All personnel credits adapted from ''[[Inferno]]'s liner notes.<ref>https://www.discogs.com/release/37423158-Boards-Of-Canada-Inferno</ref>

* [[Mike Sandison]] – electronics, synths, tapes, programming, audio evocations, drums, percussion, guitars, bass, string instruments, processes, sound design
* [[Marcus Eoin]] – electronics, synths, tapes, processes, sound design
* [[Boards of Canada]] – recording, artwork, films, photo collage, design
* [https://www.thisismetropolis.com/engineers/matt-colton/ Matt Colton]  – mastering engineer

== See Also ==
* [[Road to Inferno]]
* [[2026 Promo Campaign]]
* [[Inferno listening parties]]
* [[Discography]]
* [[Timeline]]
* [[Statements from Hexagon Sun]]

== External Links ==
=== Forums ===
* [https://forum.keyosc.com/topic/1980-inferno-may-29-2026/ Keyosc discussion: "Inferno" May 29 2026]
* [https://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15631 Twoism discussion: General New Release Speculation Topic Part II]
* [https://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16008 Twoism discussion: LP5 - Inferno]
* [https://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16027 Twoism discussion: Inferno Sessions]
* [https://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16126 Twoism discussion: Interno Reviews]

=== Press ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! publication !! article
|-
| Asatunews || [https://www.asatunews.co.id/en/boards-canada-announces-new-album Boards of Canada Announces New Album Inferno for May Release]
|-
| Billboard || [https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/boards-of-canada-inferno-stream-it-now-1236259803/ After a Prolonged Absence, Boards of Canada Fires-Up With ‘Inferno’ - Stream It Now]
|-
| Billboard || [https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/boards-of-canada-new-album-inferno-1236229593/ Boards of Canada set new album 'inferno']
|-
| Clash Magazine || [https://www.clashmusic.com/news/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno/ Boards Of Canada Announce New Album ‘Inferno’]
|-
| Consequence Sound || [https://consequence.net/2026/04/boards-of-canada-inferno-new-album/ Boards of Canada Announce New Album Inferno]
|-
| DJ Mag || [https://djmag.com/news/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno Boards Of Canada announce new album, ‘Inferno’]
|-
| Igloo Magazine || [https://igloomag.com/newswire/boards-of-canada-announce-inferno-warp Boards of Canada announce Inferno (Warp) — May 29, 2026]
|-
| MusicRadar || [https://www.musicradar.com/artists/boards-of-canada-dayvan-cowboy-repub “It’s like you are witnessing the fading of your own memories”: How Boards of Canada brewed a serene genre-blurring classic]
|-
| NME || [https://www.nme.com/news/music/boards-of-canada-announce-inferno-their-first-album-in-13-years-3941899 Boards Of Canada announce ‘Inferno’ – their first album in 13 years]
|-
| Opus || [https://opus.ing/p/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-titled-inferno Boards of Canada Announce New Album Titled Inferno]
|-
| Pitchfork || [https://pitchfork.com/news/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno/ Boards of Canada Reveal New Album Inferno]
|-
| Resident Advisor || [https://nl.ra.co/news/85026 Boards of Canada confirm new album, Inferno]
|-
| Rockshit Magazine || [https://rockshotmagazine.com/boards-of-canada-announce-long-awaited-new-album-inferno/ Boards Of Canada Announce Long-Awaited New Album ‘Inferno’]
|-
| Stereogum || [https://stereogum.com/2496646/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno/news Boards Of Canada Announce New Album Inferno]
|-
| The Line of Best Fit || [https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/boards-of-canada-reveal-details-of-inferno-first-new-album-in-13-years Boards of Canada reveal details of Inferno, first new album in 13 years]
|-
| The Quietus || [https://thequietus.com/news/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno/ Boards Of Canada Detail New Album, ‘Inferno’]
|-
| We Rave You || [https://weraveyou.com/2026/04/boards-of-canada-inferno-album-2026/ Boards of Canada announce new album ‘Inferno’ after 13-year break]
|}

=== Reviews ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! score !! favorable !! publication !! foreign !! lang !! writer !! link !! paywall !! notes
|-
| 10 || yes || The Herald || no || EN || Barry Didcock || [https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/26119902.indepth-review-boards-canada-inferno-five-star-return/ review] || yes || ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 10 || yes || musicOMH || no || EN || Steven Johnson || [https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/boards-of-canada-inferno review] || yes || ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 10 || yes || Europe Says || no || EN || n/a || [https://www.europesays.com/canada/57411/ review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 9 || yes || Uncut || no || EN || Michael Bonner || [https://bsky.app/profile/uncutmagazine.bsky.social/post/3mmbyeuto722l review] || yes || album of the month
|-
| 9 || yes || Clash || no || EN || Sam Walker-Smart || [https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| 9 || yes || Sound of Violence || yes || FR || Franck Narquin || [https://www.soundofviolence.net/articles/album/6413/boards_of_canada_inferno.html review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
|-
| 9 || yes || File Under Fire || no || EN || Matt Young || [https://fileunderfire.com/album-reviews/is-boards-of-canadas-inferno-the-soundtrack-of-the-end-times-we-deserve/ review] || no ||
|-
| 9 || yes || Beats Per Minute || no || EN || Todd Deman || [https://beatsperminute.com/album-review-boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no || 90%
|-
| 9 || yes || Under The Radar || no || EN || Tobias Furlong || [https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/inferno_boards_of_canada review] || no ||
|-
| 9 || yes || Northern Transmissions || no || EN || Erin Macleod || [https://northerntransmissions.com/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| 8,6 || yes || Pitchfork || no || EN || Philip Sherburne || [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || yes || best new music
|-
| 8,5 || yes || Boolin Tunes || no || EN || Dobbin T || [https://boolintunes.com/reviews/album-review-boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| 8 || yes || Paste Magazine || no || EN || Grant Sharples || [https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/joanna-newsom/may-27-is-now-joanna-newsom-day review] || no || B
|-
| 8 || yes || The Scotsman || no || EN || Fiona Shepherd || [https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/music/album-reviews-boards-of-canada-inferno-the-coral-radhika-autoleisureland-8636190 review] || yes || ⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 8 || yes || The Skinny || no || EN || Lewis Wade || [https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/boards-of-canada-inferno review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 8 || yes || Mojo || no || EN || Andrew Male || [https://www.mojo4music.com/reviews/new-music/boards-of-canada-inferno-review-enigmatic-duo-turn-their-focus-to-the-present/ review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 8 || yes || Exclaim || no || EN || Daryl Keating || [https://exclaim.ca/music/rarticle/boards-of-canada-inferno-album-review review] || no ||
|-
| 7 || yes || Far Out Magazine || no || EN || Tom Phelan || [https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/boards-of-canada-inferno-album-review/ review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐½
|-
| 7 || yes || Our Culture || no || EN || Konstantinos Pappis || [https://ourculturemag.com/2026/05/28/album-review-boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐½
|-
| 6 || no || NRC || yes || NL || Jonasz Dekkers || [https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/05/29/boards-of-canada-is-eindelijk-terug-bleachers-gooit-alle-registers-open-en-jan-vriend-heeft-een-nieuwe-voltreffer-a4928823?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=clipboard&utm_campaign=share&utm_term=share-modal&gift_token=49288233~1780762052~t53zRDOtRtCzEct0DTNzGw~ne8S1d9iDEQYNOwTgGgpXKP3-Or7TcOCOSqq5FV6Ihs review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 6 || no || Mondo Sonoro || yes || ES || Lluís S. Ceprián || [https://www.mondosonoro.com/criticas/discos-musica/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Anxious Musick Magazine || yes || PL || Karol Mazurek || [https://anxiousmagazine.pl/recenzje/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Chaos Reign || yes || FR || Romain Le Vern || [https://www.chaosreign.fr/inferno-le-nouvel-album-de-boards-of-canada-critique-review-avis-une-merveille-crepusculaire/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Nieuwste Hits || yes || NL || Jeroen Seegers || [https://nieuwstehits.nl/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || The Quietus || no || EN || Sereptie || [https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || DJ Mag || no || EN || Ben Cardew || [https://djmag.com/reviews/boards-of-canada-inferno review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || The Wall Street Journal || no || EN || Mark Richardson || [https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/inferno-by-boards-of-canada-review-bleak-and-beautiful-167e6e07 review] || yes ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Resident Advisor || no || EN || Sasha Geffen || [https://de.ra.co/reviews/36354 review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Attack Magazine || no || EN || Adam Douglas || [https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/columns/what-happened-at-boards-of-canadas-inferno-tokyo-listening-session/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Juno Daily || no || EN || Charlie Wright || [https://www.juno.co.uk/junodaily/2026/05/23/boards-of-canadas-inferno-album-first-listen-review/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || OOR || yes || NL || Koen Poolman || [https://oor.nl/albums/inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || taz.on weekend || yes || DE || Julian Weber || [https://taz.de/!6177981/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || The Pop Corporation || no || EN || ? || [https://thepopcorps.co.uk/2026/05/25/review-boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Sustratro || yes || ES || Miguel Pardo || [https://www.sustrato.io/textos/mantras-para-un-mundo-en-llamas-reflexiones-en-torno-a-inferno-de-boards-of-canada review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Dagens Nyheter || yes || SE || Mattias Dahlström || [https://www.dn.se/kultur/boards-of-canadas-comeback-var-vard-all-vantan/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || ? || Loud And Quiet || no || EN || Sam Walton || [https://loudandquiet.substack.com/p/boards-of-canada-inferno-album-review review] || no ||
|-
| 4 || no || Financial Times || no || EN || Ludovic Hunter-Tilney || [https://www.ft.com/content/af214775-519b-4c94-8db7-6b5207cc70bd?syn-25a6b1a6=1 review] || yes || ⭐⭐
|-
| 4 || no || The Guardian || no || EN || Ben Beaumont-Thomas || [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/may/23/boards-of-canada-inferno-review-after-13-years-away-their-prodigal-return-is-a-big-disappointment review] || no || ⭐⭐
|-
| 4 || no || The Arts Desk || no || EN || Ibi Keita || [https://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/boards-canada-channel-dante-inferno-seem-even-more-lost review] || no || ⭐⭐
|}

=== Shops ===
* [https://www.crashrecords.co.uk/products/boards-of-canada-inferno-pre-order Crash Records]
* [https://www.hhv.de/en/records/item/boards-of-canada-inferno-1392710 HHV]
* [https://www.jumborecords.co.uk/music-single.asp?product_id=WARPCD496 Jumbo Records]
* [https://www.normanrecords.com/records/215515-boards-of-canada-inferno Norman Records]
* [https://www.roughtrade.com/en-de/artist/boards-of-canada Rough Trade]
* [https://thevaultcollectiveltd.co.uk/products/boards-of-canada-inferno The Vault Collective ltd]

=== Various ===
* [https://warp.net/artists/boards-of-canada Boards of Canada on Warp Records]
* [https://bleep.com/boards-of-canada Boards of Canada on Bleep]

== References ==
<references />

== Artwork ==
The listing below is generated dynamically, based on: [[:Category: Inferno artwork]].

<DynamicPageList>
category = Inferno artwork
namespace=file
ordermethod = created
imagewidth=104
galleryshowfilesize=yes
galleryshowfilename=yes
imagesperrow=6
mode=gallery
</DynamicPageList>

{{Nav-Releases}}

[[Category: Inferno]]

Inferno

2026-06-01T17:54:31Z

EnumeratedEntity: Added additional press from Billboard

{{Infobox Release|
| name=Inferno
| cover=Inferno cover.jpg
| release_date=29 May 2026
| format=Gatefold 2xLP Deluxe 2xLP + Flexi Disc CD Cassette Digital Merch Bundles
| label=Warp Records
| catno=WARP496
| runtime=69:51 70:00 (Continuous Mix)
}}

'''''Inferno''''' is the fifth studio album by [[Boards of Canada]], released on May 29th, 2026, via [[Warp Records]]. It comes thirteen years after their previous album, ''[[Tomorrow's Harvest]]'', the band's longest gap between albums to date.

__TOC__

{{WIP}}
== Tracks ==
All tracks are written and produced by [[Mike Sandison]].<ref>https://www.discogs.com/release/37423158-Boards-Of-Canada-Inferno</ref>

# "[[Introit]]" – 0:36
# "[[Prophecy At 1420 MHz]]" – 5:04
# "[[Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan]]" – 4:44
# "[[Age Of Capricorn]]" – 3:52
# "[[Father And Son]]" – 3:24
# "[[Somewhere Right Now In The Future]]" – 2:26
# "[[Naraka]]" – 5:01
# "[[Acts Of Magic]]" – 1:18
# "[[Memory Death]]" – 2:37
# "[[The Word Becomes Flesh]]" – 5:20
# "[[Into The Magic Land]]" – 4:35
# "[[Blood In The Labyrinth]]" – 4:55
# "[[Deep Time]]" – 3:18
# "[[All Reason Departs]]" – 6:14
# "[[Arena Americanada]]" – 5:22
# "[[The Process]]" – 3:01
# "[[You Retreat In Time And Space]]" – 5:25
# "[[I Saw Through Platonia]]" – 2:39
Bonus flexi disc (Red 2LP vinyl edition only):
# "[[Vol.4 - P. Primers - 177 Giraud's Mirror]]" – 3:24 ''

== Leadup ==

''Main article: [[Road to Inferno]]''

Speculation for the album's release preceded its official announcement by over a decade, with the band and its associates sparsely giving out new information. Activity notably increased in 2025, including the band's Instagram account [[Road_to_Inferno#Instagram_Likes|liking comments related to a new album]], a [[Tomorrow's Harvest]]-era [[Cosecha-transmisiones.com|website]] [[Road_to_Inferno#Cosecha_Transmisiones|coming online once again]], and [[Road_to_Inferno#New_Merchandise|new merchandise being put on sale]]. For a more detailed look on the band's activities during this period, see the article [[Road to Inferno]].

== Promotional Campaign ==
''Main article: [[2026 Promo Campaign]]''

In early April 2026, multiple fans received unmarked VHS tapes through the mail, with sender addresses related to [[Warp Records|Warp]] and their online storefront [[Bleep.com|Bleep]]. About a week after, posters with imagery reminiscent of the band started appearing in multiple places around the UK and US. For an in-depth look at the days preceding the album's announcement, see the article [[2026 Promo Campaign]].

== Title and Themes ==

As a word, ''Inferno'' references hell and places reminiscent of it. It is the most explicit reference to religion and the occult since their 2002 album ''[[Geogaddi]]'' and 2000 EP ''[[In a Beautiful Place out in the Country (release)|In a Beautiful Place out in the Country]]''. The album's titles also heavily refer to concepts in cosmology and physics.

* An "[[Introit]]" is a song or psalm that is sung or recited at the beginning of a Christian mass.
* "[[Father And Son]]" could reference the Holy Trinity, which consists of the two and The Holy Spirit.
* "[[The Word Becomes Flesh]]" is a quotation from [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201:14&version=NIV verse 1:14] of the Gospel of John.
* "[[Naraka]]" references the realm of hell seen in Indian religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism.
* "[[The Process]]" could refer to the Process Church of the Final Judgement, a new religious movement which briefly existed in the 1960s and 70s. ''The Process'' was the title of their magazine.
* "[[Prophecy At 1420 MHz]]" references the hydrogen line, a specific wavelength of radiation emitted by hydrogen as it undergoes a quantum transition. It has been used to investigate the properties of the universe, and search for extraterrestrial life.
* "[[Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan]]" refers to the first three elements of the periodic table and the mythical sea creature.
* "[[Age Of Capricorn]]" refers to the tenth sign of the astrological zodiac, and is the astrological age that follows the Age of Aquarius.
* "[[I Saw Through Platonia]]" could refer to a concept by Julian Barbour of a realm called Platonia, which contains every possible configuration of the universe.

== Trivia ==

* ''[[Inferno]]'' has been assigned the catalog number [https://warp.net/releases/590960-inferno/tracklist WARP496]. This seems to be a deliberate request from the band themselves, as preceding [[Warp]] releases such as Squarepusher's [https://warp.net/releases/576448-kammerkonzert/ Kammerkonzert] and Oneohtrix Point Never's [https://warp.net/releases/552598-tranquilizer/ Tranquilizer] have catalog numbers of 417 and 411, respectively.
** 496 is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_number perfect number] and a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexagonal_number hexagonal number].
** 496 also holds significance in gematria (Jewish numerology). Representing Kingdom (Malkhut / מלכות). It should be further noted that 496 is the 31st Triangle number, which holds further significance as 31 is the gematria of the word God (El / אֵל).
* The Continuous Mix version runs for exactly 70 minutes. This seems to be deliberate, as 70 has carried meaning to the band in the past. For example:
** [[Music70]] is the name of [[Mike Sandison|Mike]] and [[Marcus Eoin|Marcus]]'s own label.
** [[Sixtyten]] from [[Music Has the Right to Children|MHTRTC]] reads out as 70.
** [[The Smallest Weird Number]] from [[Geogaddi]] directly refers to 70, which is the smallest [[wikipedia:Weird number|weird number]]. Even though the track runs for 1:17, it cuts out at exactly 1:10, which is 70 seconds.

== Release Notes ==
All personnel credits adapted from ''[[Inferno]]'s liner notes.<ref>https://www.discogs.com/release/37423158-Boards-Of-Canada-Inferno</ref>

* [[Mike Sandison]] – electronics, synths, tapes, programming, audio evocations, drums, percussion, guitars, bass, string instruments, processes, sound design
* [[Marcus Eoin]] – electronics, synths, tapes, processes, sound design
* [[Boards of Canada]] – recording, artwork, films, photo collage, design
* [https://www.thisismetropolis.com/engineers/matt-colton/ Matt Colton]  – mastering engineer

== See Also ==
* [[Road to Inferno]]
* [[2026 Promo Campaign]]
* [[Inferno listening parties]]
* [[Discography]]
* [[Timeline]]
* [[Statements from Hexagon Sun]]

== External Links ==
=== Forums ===
* [https://forum.keyosc.com/topic/1980-inferno-may-29-2026/ Keyosc discussion: "Inferno" May 29 2026]
* [https://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15631 Twoism discussion: General New Release Speculation Topic Part II]
* [https://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16008 Twoism discussion: LP5 - Inferno]
* [https://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16027 Twoism discussion: Inferno Sessions]
* [https://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16126 Twoism discussion: Interno Reviews]

=== Press ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! publication !! article
|-
| Asatunews || [https://www.asatunews.co.id/en/boards-canada-announces-new-album Boards of Canada Announces New Album Inferno for May Release]
|-
| Billboard || [https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/boards-of-canada-inferno-stream-it-now-1236259803/ After a Prolonged Absence, Boards of Canada Fires-Up With ‘Inferno’ - Stream It Now]
|-
| Billboard || [https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/boards-of-canada-new-album-inferno-1236229593/ Boards of Canada set new album 'inferno']
|-
| Clash Magazine || [https://www.clashmusic.com/news/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno/ Boards Of Canada Announce New Album ‘Inferno’]
|-
| Consequence Sound || [https://consequence.net/2026/04/boards-of-canada-inferno-new-album/ Boards of Canada Announce New Album Inferno]
|-
| DJ Mag || [https://djmag.com/news/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno Boards Of Canada announce new album, ‘Inferno’]
|-
| Igloo Magazine || [https://igloomag.com/newswire/boards-of-canada-announce-inferno-warp Boards of Canada announce Inferno (Warp) — May 29, 2026]
|-
| MusicRadar || [https://www.musicradar.com/artists/boards-of-canada-dayvan-cowboy-repub “It’s like you are witnessing the fading of your own memories”: How Boards of Canada brewed a serene genre-blurring classic]
|-
| NME || [https://www.nme.com/news/music/boards-of-canada-announce-inferno-their-first-album-in-13-years-3941899 Boards Of Canada announce ‘Inferno’ – their first album in 13 years]
|-
| Opus || [https://opus.ing/p/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-titled-inferno Boards of Canada Announce New Album Titled Inferno]
|-
| Pitchfork || [https://pitchfork.com/news/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno/ Boards of Canada Reveal New Album Inferno]
|-
| Resident Advisor || [https://nl.ra.co/news/85026 Boards of Canada confirm new album, Inferno]
|-
| Rockshit Magazine || [https://rockshotmagazine.com/boards-of-canada-announce-long-awaited-new-album-inferno/ Boards Of Canada Announce Long-Awaited New Album ‘Inferno’]
|-
| Stereogum || [https://stereogum.com/2496646/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno/news Boards Of Canada Announce New Album Inferno]
|-
| The Line of Best Fit || [https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/boards-of-canada-reveal-details-of-inferno-first-new-album-in-13-years Boards of Canada reveal details of Inferno, first new album in 13 years]
|-
| The Quietus || [https://thequietus.com/news/boards-of-canada-announce-new-album-inferno/ Boards Of Canada Detail New Album, ‘Inferno’]
|-
| We Rave You || [https://weraveyou.com/2026/04/boards-of-canada-inferno-album-2026/ Boards of Canada announce new album ‘Inferno’ after 13-year break]
|}

=== Reviews ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! score !! favorable !! publication !! foreign !! lang !! writer !! link !! paywall !! notes
|-
| 10 || yes || The Herald || no || EN || Barry Didcock || [https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/26119902.indepth-review-boards-canada-inferno-five-star-return/ review] || yes || ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 10 || yes || musicOMH || no || EN || Steven Johnson || [https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/boards-of-canada-inferno review] || yes || ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 10 || yes || Europe Says || no || EN || n/a || [https://www.europesays.com/canada/57411/ review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 9 || yes || Uncut || no || EN || Michael Bonner || [https://bsky.app/profile/uncutmagazine.bsky.social/post/3mmbyeuto722l review] || yes || album of the month
|-
| 9 || yes || Clash || no || EN || Sam Walker-Smart || [https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| 9 || yes || Sound of Violence || yes || FR || Franck Narquin || [https://www.soundofviolence.net/articles/album/6413/boards_of_canada_inferno.html review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
|-
| 9 || yes || File Under Fire || no || EN || Matt Young || [https://fileunderfire.com/album-reviews/is-boards-of-canadas-inferno-the-soundtrack-of-the-end-times-we-deserve/ review] || no ||
|-
| 9 || yes || Beats Per Minute || no || EN || Todd Deman || [https://beatsperminute.com/album-review-boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no || 90%
|-
| 9 || yes || Under The Radar || no || EN || Tobias Furlong || [https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/inferno_boards_of_canada review] || no ||
|-
| 9 || yes || Northern Transmissions || no || EN || Erin Macleod || [https://northerntransmissions.com/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| 8,6 || yes || Pitchfork || no || EN || Philip Sherburne || [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || yes || best new music
|-
| 8,5 || yes || Boolin Tunes || no || EN || Dobbin T || [https://boolintunes.com/reviews/album-review-boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| 8 || yes || Paste Magazine || no || EN || Grant Sharples || [https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/joanna-newsom/may-27-is-now-joanna-newsom-day review] || no || B
|-
| 8 || yes || The Scotsman || no || EN || Fiona Shepherd || [https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/music/album-reviews-boards-of-canada-inferno-the-coral-radhika-autoleisureland-8636190 review] || yes || ⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 8 || yes || The Skinny || no || EN || Lewis Wade || [https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/boards-of-canada-inferno review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 8 || yes || Mojo || no || EN || Andrew Male || [https://www.mojo4music.com/reviews/new-music/boards-of-canada-inferno-review-enigmatic-duo-turn-their-focus-to-the-present/ review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 8 || yes || Exclaim || no || EN || Daryl Keating || [https://exclaim.ca/music/rarticle/boards-of-canada-inferno-album-review review] || no ||
|-
| 7 || yes || Far Out Magazine || no || EN || Tom Phelan || [https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/boards-of-canada-inferno-album-review/ review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐½
|-
| 7 || yes || Our Culture || no || EN || Konstantinos Pappis || [https://ourculturemag.com/2026/05/28/album-review-boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐½
|-
| 6 || no || NRC || yes || NL || Jonasz Dekkers || [https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/05/29/boards-of-canada-is-eindelijk-terug-bleachers-gooit-alle-registers-open-en-jan-vriend-heeft-een-nieuwe-voltreffer-a4928823?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=clipboard&utm_campaign=share&utm_term=share-modal&gift_token=49288233~1780762052~t53zRDOtRtCzEct0DTNzGw~ne8S1d9iDEQYNOwTgGgpXKP3-Or7TcOCOSqq5FV6Ihs review] || no || ⭐⭐⭐
|-
| 6 || no || Mondo Sonoro || yes || ES || Lluís S. Ceprián || [https://www.mondosonoro.com/criticas/discos-musica/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Anxious Musick Magazine || yes || PL || Karol Mazurek || [https://anxiousmagazine.pl/recenzje/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Chaos Reign || yes || FR || Romain Le Vern || [https://www.chaosreign.fr/inferno-le-nouvel-album-de-boards-of-canada-critique-review-avis-une-merveille-crepusculaire/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Nieuwste Hits || yes || NL || Jeroen Seegers || [https://nieuwstehits.nl/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || The Quietus || no || EN || Sereptie || [https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || DJ Mag || no || EN || Ben Cardew || [https://djmag.com/reviews/boards-of-canada-inferno review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || The Wall Street Journal || no || EN || Mark Richardson || [https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/inferno-by-boards-of-canada-review-bleak-and-beautiful-167e6e07 review] || yes ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Resident Advisor || no || EN || Sasha Geffen || [https://de.ra.co/reviews/36354 review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Attack Magazine || no || EN || Adam Douglas || [https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/columns/what-happened-at-boards-of-canadas-inferno-tokyo-listening-session/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Juno Daily || no || EN || Charlie Wright || [https://www.juno.co.uk/junodaily/2026/05/23/boards-of-canadas-inferno-album-first-listen-review/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || OOR || yes || NL || Koen Poolman || [https://oor.nl/albums/inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || taz.on weekend || yes || DE || Julian Weber || [https://taz.de/!6177981/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || The Pop Corporation || no || EN || ? || [https://thepopcorps.co.uk/2026/05/25/review-boards-of-canada-inferno/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Sustratro || yes || ES || Miguel Pardo || [https://www.sustrato.io/textos/mantras-para-un-mundo-en-llamas-reflexiones-en-torno-a-inferno-de-boards-of-canada review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || yes || Dagens Nyheter || yes || SE || Mattias Dahlström || [https://www.dn.se/kultur/boards-of-canadas-comeback-var-vard-all-vantan/ review] || no ||
|-
| n/a || ? || Loud And Quiet || no || EN || Sam Walton || [https://loudandquiet.substack.com/p/boards-of-canada-inferno-album-review review] || no ||
|-
| 4 || no || Financial Times || no || EN || Ludovic Hunter-Tilney || [https://www.ft.com/content/af214775-519b-4c94-8db7-6b5207cc70bd?syn-25a6b1a6=1 review] || yes || ⭐⭐
|-
| 4 || no || The Guardian || no || EN || Ben Beaumont-Thomas || [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/may/23/boards-of-canada-inferno-review-after-13-years-away-their-prodigal-return-is-a-big-disappointment review] || no || ⭐⭐
|-
| 4 || no || The Arts Desk || no || EN || Ibi Keita || [https://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/boards-canada-channel-dante-inferno-seem-even-more-lost review] || no || ⭐⭐
|}

=== Shops ===
* [https://www.crashrecords.co.uk/products/boards-of-canada-inferno-pre-order Crash Records]
* [https://www.hhv.de/en/records/item/boards-of-canada-inferno-1392710 HHV]
* [https://www.jumborecords.co.uk/music-single.asp?product_id=WARPCD496 Jumbo Records]
* [https://www.normanrecords.com/records/215515-boards-of-canada-inferno Norman Records]
* [https://www.roughtrade.com/en-de/artist/boards-of-canada Rough Trade]
* [https://thevaultcollectiveltd.co.uk/products/boards-of-canada-inferno The Vault Collective ltd]

=== Various ===
* [https://warp.net/artists/boards-of-canada Boards of Canada on Warp Records]
* [https://bleep.com/boards-of-canada Boards of Canada on Bleep]

== References ==
<references />

== Artwork ==
The listing below is generated dynamically, based on: [[:Category: Inferno artwork]].

<DynamicPageList>
category = Inferno artwork
namespace=file
ordermethod = created
imagewidth=104
galleryshowfilesize=yes
galleryshowfilename=yes
imagesperrow=6
mode=gallery
</DynamicPageList>

{{Nav-Releases}}

[[Category: Inferno]]