After a four year wait, math-rock outfit Battles have announced the release of their fourth album, Juice B Crypts.
Earlier this year, New York City’s Battles revealed that they had gone through another lineup change. Losing founding guitarist Dave Konopka in 2018, almost a decade after the departure of Tyondai Braxton, fans were a tad worried how this new lineup would continue into the future.
Thankfully, their fears were misplaced, with Battles making their return to the live stage last month, and now revealing that they’ve got another record on the way.
Coming almost four years after the release of 2015’s La Di Da Di, Battles’ fourth album is set to be released through Warp Records on October 18th, bearing the intriguing title Juice B Crypts.
To help celebrate the new release, Battles have also unveiled their latest single, ‘Titanium 2 Step’, which features the vocals of Sal Principato from ’80s New York outfit Liquid Liquid.
“We loved making this record in our hometown of New York and cannot be more pleased that Sal from Liquid Liquid is on the track,” explained percussionist John Stanier, “it could not have been more perfect”.
Their first album to be written and recorded in their native New York, Juice B Crypts is influenced by the city, featuring artwork from artist and friend Andrew Kuo, whose colourful abstract work brings the record to life.
Featuring further guest musicians like Xenia Rubinos, Prairie WWWW, Shabazz Palaces, tUnE-yArDs, and Yes vocalist Jon Anderson, the new record shows the band at their most pure.
“It’s about chord progressions, resolutions, returning home,” explains guitarist Ian Williams.
“Take that and throw it into a blender of modern electronic tools like glitching devices, or use melodic lines and take them and regurgitate them and pulverise the traditional stuff but at the same time try and retain harmonic relationships while completely smashing them up”.
Juice B Crypts is out October 18th, with pre-orders available now.
Check out ‘Titanium 2 Step (feat. Sal Principato)’ by Battles:
Juice B Crypts – Battles
1. ‘Ambulance’
2. ‘A Loop So Nice…’
3. ‘They Played It Twice’ (feat. Xenia Rubinos)
4. ‘Sugar Foot’ (feat. Jon Anderson and Prairie WWWW)
5. ‘Fort Greene Park’
6. ‘Titanium 2 Step’ (feat. Sal Principato)
7. ‘Hiro 3’
8. ‘IZM’ (feat. Shabazz Palaces)
9. ‘Juice B Crypts’
10. ‘The Last Supper On Shasta’ (feat. Tune-Yards)
