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For the last few months I have been rather preoccupied with the festival scene and the exciting new series ‘APOPCALYPSE‘. However, when I was sent a stunning and sentimental EP by an exciting brother/sister duo called Bat and Ball, I couldn’t resist writing another ‘introducing’ article. The duo formed at Goldsmiths in London with three other musicians for live purposes. They have been gigging and generating buzz slowly, but this week they released their first EP, We Prefer it in the Dark.
This is a collection of incredibly well produced tracks with real character, the title track could easily be the opening to an album with its slow building melodies and atmospheric layering. Abi’s vocal has a Scandinavian quality reminiscent of Lykke Li or Oh Land which suits these darkened pop tracks brilliantly. ‘Tails’ is incredibly radio friendly and offers the band the chance to break the mainstream with this infectious gem. Made up of a killer hook and moody riffs, BBC Introducing will completely adore this. The band have already received a large amount of support from XFM, who invited the band to play a live session at the station on Wednesday evening. This followed their live EP launch at Madame JoJo’s on Tuesday, so all in all it’s been a pretty fantastic week.
The EP deserves the exposure. ‘Unrelated’ slows tempo and has a melodic quality that could be likened to Daughter in its structure. I am a real fan of the composition of these tracks, they transform from transparent indie pop to three dimensional, enthralling pieces of music. Final track ‘Graze Scratch Spot’ allows Chris’s unique vocal to take centre stage whilst paired with soaring choruses and xx style guitar riffs. It makes for a really individual break out track; you can hear the band’s live processes being adapted into their studio sound.
Bat And Ball have the potential to follow the British indie wave of London Grammar, the xx, the 1975 and make a permanent and lasting mark on the music scene. Their first release has been a solid one which is always a positive and steady first step, they now have to allow people to digest and enjoy We Enjoy it in the Dark and concentrate on creating a debut album that is going to be as polished and personal.
You can hear the whole EP through the band’s Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bat-and-ball
