Electronic music pioneers Boards Of Canada have officially returned, sharing the first two tracks from their highly anticipated comeback album, Inferno. Fans can now listen to the atmospheric double A-side, ‘Introit’ and ‘Prophecy At 1420 MHz’, which serve as the first new material from the Scottish duo in over a decade.

The pair are set to release their fifth studio album on May 29 via Warp Records. Inferno arrives as an 18-track follow-up to their acclaimed 2013 record, Tomorrow’s Harvest. The new project will be available across multiple physical formats and digital platforms.

A Return to Form

The newly released tracks offer a glimpse into the sonic landscape of the upcoming record. ‘Introit’ functions as a haunting, retro-futurist prelude defined by its spectral, scrambling synthesizers. It is paired with ‘Prophecy At 1420 MHz’, a hypnotic and ominous composition named after the specific deep-space frequency associated with the search for extra-terrestrial life. The track features muffled, mutated vocals that seem to emerge from a sea of static.

You can watch the official video for both tracks, directed by Robert Beatty, below:

The path to this release has been marked by cryptic activity. Rumors of the band’s return began circulating after fans spotted poster campaigns in London, New York, California, and Shibuya, featuring designs reminiscent of the artwork from their 1998 debut, Music Has The Right To Children. Further intrigue was generated when a dormant website associated with the band was revived with the message “nobody home…” followed by Morse code, and reports surfaced of fans receiving mysterious VHS tapes containing audio from a defunct Christian bible school magazine.

Legacy and Anticipation

While the band has remained largely quiet since 2013, they have occasionally surfaced through archival reissues, sporadic remixes, and an NTS DJ mix. Their last full-length effort, Tomorrow’s Harvest, was widely praised for its dark, atmospheric intensity, with critics often contrasting their sound against the more optimistic electronic trends of the era.

As the release date for Inferno approaches, the electronic music community remains eager to see how the duo will evolve their signature sound after such a significant hiatus.