As a group ten years in the making, Battle (formerly known as Killing Moon) continues to re-invent its sound and attract new fans with the vocals of Jason Bavandan. First came Bavandan and James Ellis (guitarist), who met in high school and by 2000 sought to recruit bandmates at Kent University. Tim Scudder (bass) and Oliver Davies (drums) later completed the pack and in 2004 the quartet released the demo, “Tendency”. Throughout 2005, Battle released a pair of singles including “Isabelle”/”Feel the Sameand,” and “Demons”/”Damascus,” though the group received their golden break while opening for Bloc Party at Kentish Forum in February.
On the brink of a new year, the band has posted a new single, “Wicked Owl”, on their website in the midst of polishing the Our First Impressions of Earth Were Before Yours EP. That release will be unveiled around SXSW 2006 with a full-length to hit stores in late summer/early fall ‘06, though exactly which label will be releasing these records is still uncertain.
Bavandan has an ideal indie tone that breathes with clarity as “Wicked Owl” entertains the fervor of feelings tossed and turned with lyrics like, “Oh I don’t want to cause a fuss/look what’s eating me/it’s just the person I am”. Collectively, Battle has aimed to imitate life through their art. “Everything we do and say is a comment on the world in which we live and we feel that our music as fuelled and inspired by this on-going commentary.” “Wicked Owl” is an exciting taste of what’s to come from Battle in the new year. If they’re not on your radar yet, you better lock on now. “Wicked Owl” can be downloaded here.
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