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Inferno

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Inferno
Inferno cover.jpg
Label(s) Warp Records
Catalogue No(s) WARP496
Release date(s) 29 May 2026
Format(s) Gatefold 2xLP
Deluxe 2xLP
CD
Digital
Merch Bundles
Running time(s) 69:51
70:00 (Continuous Mix)


Inferno is the upcoming fifth studio album by Boards of Canada, scheduled for release on 29 May 2026 via Warp Records. It is the long-anticipated follow-up to their 2013 album Tomorrow's Harvest - a gap of nearly thirteen years preceded its release, the band's longest to date between albums.


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Tracks

  1. "Introit" – 0:36
  2. "Prophecy At 1420 MHz" – 5:04
  3. "Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan" – 4:44
  4. "Age Of Capricorn" – 3:52
  5. "Father And Son" – 3:24
  6. "Somewhere Right Now In The Future" – 2:26
  7. "Naraka" – 5:01
  8. "Acts Of Magic" – 1:18
  9. "Memory Death" – 2:37
  10. "The Word Becomes Flesh" – 5:20
  11. "Into The Magic Land" – 4:35
  12. "Blood In The Labyrinth" – 4:55
  13. "Deep Time" – 3:18
  14. "All Reason Departs" – 6:14
  15. "Arena Americanada" – 5:22
  16. "The Process" – 3:01
  17. "You Retreat In Time And Space" – 5:25
  18. "I Saw Through Platonia" – 2:39

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 liking comments related to a new album, a Tomorrow's Harvest-era website coming online once again, and 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 and their online storefront 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. 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 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 WARP496. This seems to be a deliberate request from the band themselves, as preceding Warp releases such as Squarepusher's Kammerkonzert and Oneohtrix Point Never's Tranquilizer have catalog numbers of 417 and 411, respectively.
    • 496 is a perfect number and a hexagonal number.
    • 496 also holds significance in gematria (Jewish numerology). Representing Kingdom (Malkhut / מלכות). It should be further regarded 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 in the band's past releases. For example:

Release Notes

Quotes

See Also

External Links

Forums

Press

Reviews

score favorable publication writer link paywall notes
10 yes The Herald Barry Didcock article yes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
10 yes musicOMH Steven Johnson article yes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
10 yes Europe Says article no ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
9 yes Uncut Magazine Michael Bonner article yes album of the month
9 yes Clash Music Sam Walker-Smart article no
8 yes The Scotsman Fiona Shepherd article yes ⭐⭐⭐⭐
yes Resident Advisor Sasha Geffen article no
yes Attack Magazine Adam Douglas article no
yes Juno Daily Charlie Wright article no
yes OOR Koen Poolman article no
n/a Loud And Quiet Sam Walton article yes
4 no Financial Times Ludovic Hunter-Tilney article no ⭐⭐
4 no The Guardian Ben Beaumont-Thomas article no ⭐⭐

Shops

Various

References


Artwork

The listing below is generated dynamically, based on: Category: Inferno artwork.

Discography Overview | view ⬢ edit
Albums Music Has the Right to Children ⬢ Geogaddi ⬢ The Campfire Headphase ⬢ Tomorrow's Harvest ⬢ Inferno
EPs Twoism ⬢ Hi Scores ⬢ Aquarius ⬢ Peel Session ⬢ In a Beautiful Place out in the Country ⬢ Trans Canada Highway
Singles Reach For The Dead ⬢ Introit / Prophecy At 1420 MHz
Rare / Early Releases Catalog 3 ⬢ Acid Memories ⬢ Closes Vol. 1 ⬢ Play by Numbers ⬢ Hooper Bay ⬢ Boc Maxima ⬢ Old Tunes Vol. 1 ⬢ Old Tunes Vol. 2 ⬢ Random 35 Tracks Tape ⬢ Boc Remii Vol. 1
Mixtapes Marcus Eoin's Campfire Mixtape ⬢ Societas x Tape
Live Sets Live @ Warp10 ⬢ Live @ Lighthouse ⬢ Live @ ATP ⬢ All Gigs
Promotional Releases Telephasic Workshop ⬢ MHTRTC (promo cassette) ⬢ Orange Romeda ⬢ Geogaddi (promo lp) ⬢ Geogaddi (test pressing) ⬢ Geogaddi (promo cassette) ⬢ ------ / ------ / ------ / XXXXXX / ------ / ------ ⬢ Reach For The Dead (promo cd) ⬢ Come To Dust (promo cd)
Compilation Exclusives Korona ⬢ Orange Romeda ⬢ Seven Forty Seven
Produced by BoC for Others Here Come The Rubber Cops ⬢ Orangutang
Bootleg Releases Unreleased Tracks
Other Kaleidoscope ⬢ Promotional Events ⬢ Promotional Items ⬢ Merchandise ⬢ Web media
Lead-up RSD 2013 ARG ⬢ Road to Inferno ⬢ 2026 Promo Campaign
To Be Determined BoCset
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