Mysterious VHS Tapes Might Herald the Launch of a New Boards of Canada Undertaking

In some unspecified time in the future during the last 24 hours, mysterious VHS tapes reportedly began arriving within the mailboxes of a choose group of music followers. The tapes contained what one outlet described as “analogue visuals, shortwave-style audio and layered voice fragments,” and have been emblazoned with a design that includes seven hexagons. There was no different figuring out info, however followers rapidly picked up on their origin: an handle utilized by British experimental music label Warp Data. This factors to an thrilling chance: A brand new launch by reclusive Scottish brothers Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin, aka Boards of Canada.

The time period “extremely anticipated” is the archetypal music trade cliché, however a brand new Boards of Canada file could be genuinely huge—and thrilling—information. Their most up-to-date file, Tomorrow’s Harvest, appeared over a decade in the past, so a brand new launch is nicely overdue. And whereas nothing has been confirmed, there are many indicators that time towards the hypothesis a few new launch being correct. Other than the tapes coming from Warp, their branding additionally appears important: the duo has a protracted affiliation with the hexagon, and a brand new album could be their seventh.

BoC additionally has some expertise on this space; the discharge of Tomorrow’s Harvest was preceded by what was basically an augmented actuality sport primarily based round a collection of six numeric codes that have been launched all through April and Might 2013. When followers assembled all six codes and entered them right into a field on the band’s web site, they have been introduced with a hyperlink to pre-order the file. Even their early information have been launched in unconventional methods: After years of hypothesis in regards to the follow-up to their 1998 debut Music Has the Proper to Youngsters, their second album merely appeared unannounced on launch schedules in early 2002. No pre-release copies of the file—entitled Geogaddi and launched in February 2002—have been distributed in any respect.

The final air of secrecy across the duo is heightened by the truth that they principally by no means play reside. Their final public look was on the second-ever All Tomorrow’s Events competition, in April 2001, and Setlist.fm lists a complete of 12 exhibits ever carried out. Additionally they not often give interviews.

With all this in thoughts, it’s not a very far-fetched concept that the videotapes may herald a brand new album from certainly one of music’s most inscrutable duos. Followers on the r/boardsofcanada subreddit actually assume so—they’ve been going nuts looking for and decipher attainable hidden messages on the tapes. (Pattern thread titles: “Each body of the tape in JPEG (6422 information)”, “Part-cancelled vocals from the tape”, and “I WANT TO BELIEVE”.)

This morning additionally introduced one other piece of potential proof, courtesy of an enterprising Redditor going by welcome2wyzard, who searched Spotify for 2026 releases on Warp Data by artists whose title comprises the phrase “Boards.” Prime hit: Boards of Canada.

This methodology, defined welcome2wyzard, can be utilized “to seek out out if new releases from an artist are scheduled for a sure 12 months/label,” even when the discharge(s) aren’t posted publicly but. (Coming into the identical seek for, say, 2025 returns no outcomes.) Whereas the tactic isn’t foolproof—it may well flag upcoming reissues and compilations that includes the artist in query—it’s one other promising signal.

It’s additionally value noting that the marketing campaign for Tomorrow’s Harvest began on Document Retailer Day. That is the third Saturday in April—or, in different phrases, simply across the nook. Watch this area!