Battles have long lived in the shadow of their debut LP, Mirroring. The release was so refreshing in 2007 it felt like having the top of your brain taken out and scrubbed clean with a toothbrush. Since then, the band has lost two members. It's now comprised of polymath Ian Williams and legendary drummer John Stanier.
The band's downsizing has necessitated a shift in sound. On Juice B Crypts, electronics budge to the fore, and an increased number of guest vocalists appear. Oddball synthesisers and pedal effects substitute previous albums' crushing, math-inflected riffs. There are moments which recall Oneohtrix Point Never's Age Of, or even 80s pastiche act Com Truise.
This drastic switch-up was necessary in a band who had been beginning to stagnate. Though the joy and simulated spontaneity of Mirroring is never matched, this LP displays more than enough new strengths to carry it by. Juice B Crypts is Battles' first album which doesn't feel as though it is trying to simulate Mirroring. Its independence, experimentation, and freedom find the remaining band members in their element.
Stanier's drumming is, predictably, excellent. And Williams' performances are spirited and eccentric. So much of what always worked in Battles remains — but now it's reinvigorated; less risk-averse.
Perhaps the best example of how Battles' new, stripped-down lineup works is in the absence of vocals on Juice B Crypts. The whirring and clanging of the band's guitar work is thrown into new relief. A cold danger wraps itself around every second of charm on this album. While this may not sound like a positive quality, it's all set up for a surprising, warm and elliptical final minute (you’ll have to listen to find out). As it comes to its end, Juice B Crypts proves Battles still have a few surprises left.
Juice B Crypts is available to stream and purchase here.
Words by Andrew O’Keefe