It’s not the first time surrealist comedy has seeped into the mythology of the five-piece. Last September’s debut EP boasted a working title of Barry Homeowner, a name borrowed from Mortimer’s wildly tangential football podcast Athletico Mince. When Anton says he’s “still bitter” that the rest of the band eventually overruled him to call the collection Town Centre, it’s initially difficult to tell whether he’s joking or deadly serious.

The same goes for much of Squid’s press so far, which is littered with stories that often seem too absurd to be real. For example, the story that guitarist and vocalist Louis Bourlase was set upon by a SWAT team aged 13 is true. Also true: Laurie, Anton and Ollie used to be in a funk and soul covers band that was variously named Better Call Soul and Soul Campbell, before they finalised Squid’s line-up in late 2015. And so too is the fact that their name is inspired by Ollie’s near-fatal experience choking on calamari. “He definitely did almost die,” bassist and brass player Laurie Nankivell confirms today. “We were there, watching on.”

Not true, however, is the rumour that their debut album is being produced by Quincy Jones and will be released via Roc-A-Fella Records – Louis and keyboardist Arthur Leadbetter admit to fabricating that one while bored in an interview. As far as the Squid backstory goes, however, this anecdote serves as an effective insight into the psychology of the band and their innate playfulness.

This playfulness, unsurprisingly, bleeds into their music too. The origins of the outfit can be traced back to a jazz night in Brighton, where Anton, Ollie, Louis, Laurie and Arthur first met while studying (four out of five members are former University of Sussex students). “I vividly remember meeting you, Louis,” Arthur smirks. “We were standing outside my flat, late into the night, and you came up to me, glass of wine in one hand, and said, ‘Arthur, didn’t you think that piece by Terry Riley that we listened to today in lecture was fascinating?’” As the rest of the band explode into laughter, Louis bats back, “And what did you say? ‘Leave me alone?’”