Credit: Warp Records
Inferno
[By: Boards of Canada]
Genre: IDM, Downtempo, Hauntology
Rating: 85
Cohesiveness: 90
Track quality: 77
Beginner-friendly? go on
Published 2026/07/12
13 years have passed since the last studio album from the acclaimed duo - Inferno breaks that hiatus, and it brings forth some of their most intense work.
Boards of Canada have, historically, proved difficult to classify. Jumping around hip-hop beatmaking, IDM, ambient, trip-hop, and perhaps even some midtempo/synthwave-esque sonic choices (alongside much more), their sound palette is diverse and amorphous, and it would be difficult to place them neatly into a box. Inferno is no different, undoubtedly - it similarly seems oblivious to all genre constraints - but it is certainly more intense than their previous records.
The darkness it posits is perhaps similar to that of their second album Geogaddi, a darkness that, similarly, is drawn from motifs that inspire the ritualistic and the occult. Inferno is an exploration of heavier themes, ones that consider religion and science in equal parts in measured (though frequently unsettling) tones. No better example of this is present than "The Word Becomes Flesh" - a track whose sample is a comprehensive description of an embryo's development, narrated in a scientific manner over a springy beat, but whose heavy vocal manipulation and distortion marks its off-kilter undertone; meanwhile, "Naraka", just three tracks prior, is deep and decidedly grand, and deploys religious motifs in the form of a Hare Krishna chant through its final movement - the chant lends the cut a mantra-like quality, a repetitive, ritualistic invocation of religion - while "Father And Son" is a more direct discussion of such religious faith. In this dichotomy Inferno finds its cohesive strengths, but Boards of Canada always punctuate it with moments of undeniable beauty. Their lush ambient production shows through in "Memory Death" or "I Saw Through Platonia", and these tracks feel ethereal and transcendental in their synth padding and beatless atmospheres, where designs pool wordlessly into liquified sound in a resonant imitation of what can only be assumed to be the human experience, though often warped and tainted. Production on these is often less intricate than the more intense tracks (say, for instance, "Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan") yet both exhibit their strengths in their own ways. Clearly Boards of Canada remain in full flow, even almost three decades down the line.
There is a sense of confusion as Inferno progresses. Undoubtedly this confusion is entirely warranted, and entirely up to the listener to accept: seemingly nonsensical tracks like "Age Of Capricorn" or "The Process" have to them a striking cohesion that carries them through, often rhythmically - Boards of Canada seem to have enhanced their rhythmic work for Inferno - though not always. There is also, perhaps, a nuanced uncertainty to the record's movement, one that seems to, in part, be a conduit for sensitivity towards its darker motifs, but also one that invites a listener to consider their own position in relation to such themes. The ethereal nature of Inferno seems to place it in a limbo state, where it seems to say very little, and ask very much. The record is not so much an inflamed revolutionary call or a morality-driven promise, but rather it simply seeks to direct a lens upon an already existing facet of reality, burning away the smokescreen. Boards of Canada maintain a style that appeals to this - their detached beats and fuzzy atmospheres cater well towards Inferno's enigmatic feel.
It would be a shame to consider the themes without (properly) considering the album's sound. Inferno may be less subtle and more striking than their legendary works of old, like Music Has The Right To Children or the aforementioned Geogaddi, but it remains a technically strong album. Always pushing the envelope, Boards of Canada aim for a more rhythmic, powerful sound signature, and the beats, as a result, are very prominent in the mix, always moving forwards or springing upwards. When the beats are not there (in the ambient tracks) the padding moves like fluid to fill the space, panning and rolling in an auditory back-and-forth shuffle, and when the beats are there, their grooves are addictive, and, uncannily, sometimes the sampling above them can transform cuts like "Age Of Capricorn" or "Naraka" into something that resembles an earworm. At the same time the sampling manipulation, often used to distort or to corrupt, adds a razor-sharp edge of eeriness as part of a greater sound-design-oriented shift towards that mournful darker sound. 'Mournful' is an apt adjective, to be sure, but perhaps for Inferno 'poignant' may be more apt when considering it as a whole, in the intersection between the fervent rhythms and the hazy ambience.
The next Boards of Canada album could be years from now, or decades. Inferno promises quality to come, and it seems adapted to the modern sonic landscape but remains firmly within unique territory. Beyond its thematic and technical significance is a statement for us listeners, that Boards of Canada have not gone stale, and though their output may be intermittent it places no taint upon the occult pulse of Inferno.
Listen on Spotify here.
Introit
A short and fairly simple intro kicks off this album with a lilting synth lead that slowly fades out, overtaken by padding that smoothly transitions into "Prophecy At 1420 MHz".
Prophecy At 1420 MHz ⭐
The first substantial track begins with a quiet ambience, before it takes a pause and then breaks into a neon, almost cinematic sound palette. Production-wise "Prophecy At 1420 MHz" sounds synthwave-esque, particularly in its sound design. When the hypermodulated vocal kicks in, there is a transition to an equally similar midtempo vibe, whilst still skirting the idea in a way that seems aptly liminal in genre and in sound.
Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan ⭐
If "Prophecy At 1420 MHz" sounded vaguely synthwave-y, then so does "Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan". The main lead is reminiscient of a darksynth sound but the drums are surprisingly fat, and the track rides its groove well over the ghostly synth padding in the background.
Age Of Capricorn
"Age Of Capricorn" brings a brighter, more uplifting sound to the album. The synth introduced in the beginning is sustained through the song, acting as the primary driver of the otherwise ambient cut, whose engagement is brought about by the queer (though, inexplicably, cinematic) sampling choices.
Father And Son ⭐
"Father And Son" is far more reliant on its sampling. The drums are crushed and highly processed, but the setup of the sampling is oddly compelling and produces a strange caricature of a story, but also a groove for the track to nicely slot into.
Somewhere Right Now In The Future
The drumless ambient nature of "Somewhere Right Now In The Future" gives it a lulling quality, and though it doesn't quite make its mark as an individual track as a result, it still sounds very pretty in its padding.
Naraka ⭐
"Naraka" begins with a beat that has a slight bounce to it, though, as Boards of Canada would have it, that bounce is very understated. Instead the piece cultivates an increasing sense of grandeur, as if (rather than bouncing) it rises and swells. The track is only made more resonant by the devotee mantra that is sampled in its second half.
Acts Of Magic
It's only a minute long, but the low thrumming crescendo present here is immediately engaging, paired with some dissonant sound design, slowly building and building and eventually petering out into "Memory Death".
Memory Death
This, from atmosphere alone, is perhaps one of the more aptly named tracks on this record. The panning is very creative, and gives the cut a sense of fluid motion even with the hospital-like beeping that remains a constant through its runtime. Most of the track, besides this beeping, though, is ethereal and almost transcendental, particularly with the introduction of the sweeping vocal.
The Word Becomes Flesh ⭐
Boards of Canada give "The Word Becomes Flesh" enough runtime for its progression to shine - indeed, the track relies entirely on its progression for both its themeing and its production to shine. That production is simple but bubbly and rhythmic; meanwhile, the themeing is strong through the sample that documents the development of an embryo, with the narrator's voice constantly manipulated and distorted.
Into The Magic Land
Here's another atmosphere that feels vaguely synthwave-like, though this is in sound choice alone, as the sound design that makes up the atmosphere is perhaps reminiscient of art like Carpenter Brut's old work. It pulsates wondrously, and sounds almost organic at times, whilst rich and rhythmic in others.
Blood In The Labyrinth
"Blood In The Labryinth" opens up nicely, with tapping drums and that familiar synth lead. The first few minutes are fairly standard for this album as far as atmosphere goes, but the melodic sitar lead is far-and-away the standout feature of the cut, guiding it brilliantly, with a manipulated vocal sample chipping in halfway through too.
Deep Time
Quiet padding is the primary motif of "Deep Time". Largely it is an empty, spacious ambient cut, that, in hushed tones, progresses slowly and incorporates some cautious instrumentation. It is a cut that does very little, but, in fairness, it is not one that needs to do much.
All Reason Departs
There's a clean transition from "Deep Time" into "All Reason Departs", and Boards of Canada begin to toy with progression and rhythm once more. The distorted sample fronts the track, snarling away as the drums begin to shuffle into the soundstage. The synth playing prominently in the left channel gets tiring, admittedly, but nevertheless the reserved flow of the track is appealing.
Arena Americanada
Boards of Canada continue with this darksynth-inspired sound design, with "Arena Americanada" using it in a more spacious way. There's an impactful lead and the background hosts a multitude of synths that interplay with the padding very nicely, with the track dipping and shimmering and eventually caving into that same padding at the end.
The Process
"The Process" begins with a low thrum that swirls around a little and eventually is charged with a few synths that are thrown into the mix. The sample that follows drones over the production; it is eerily nonsensical and keeps the track subdued.
You Retreat In Time And Space ⭐
At this point in the album, Boards of Canada are outlining their intention to be mellower towards its conclusion. "You Retreat In Time And Space" begins with another ambient introductory movement, but later it transforms into something organic and rather groovy, and, at times, with its big, deep synth hit, grand.
I Saw Through Platonia
To close off the record - a mellow yet quietly magnificent cut. It is short, but "I Saw Through Platonia" shifts restlessly (for a beatless ambient track) and constantly laps over itself as an almost liquidy closer.
- Naraka ⭐
- Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan ⭐
- You Retreat In Time And Space ⭐
- Father And Son ⭐
- Prophecy At 1420 MHz ⭐
- The Word Becomes Flesh ⭐
- Blood In The Labyrinth
- Into The Magic Land
- The Process
- Age Of Capricorn
- Memory Death
- I Saw Through Platonia
- Arena Americanada
- Deep Time
- Acts Of Magic
- Somewhere Right Now In The Future
- Introit
- All Reason Departs