Reviewer: Jamie Milton

Released: 18th September 2015

Label: Warp Records

Don’t be alarmed by Battles. A trio making muscular, fist-down instrumental rock that throws sharp darts at every opportunity might be their game, but wait: They’ve called their new album ‘La Di Da Di’, as innocent and approachable a title as they come. Concrete objects might be more fitting, but the cover art is draped in a collage of breakfast food - eggs, pancakes, a half-peeled banana piercing through a watermelon (ooh er), one rash of bacon. Everyone loves breakfast, right? Battles might not be such a disarming force after all.

Ultimately, ‘La Di Da Di’ and its breakfast-tastic art are playful. And that’s Battles down to a T. In the early days of penning ten-minute monsters, ex-vocalist Tyondai Braxton wailed through a blurry mesh of effects about how “the kitchen is cook”, “the chorus comes after.” Brilliant nonsense defined debut ‘Mirrored’, and a playful quality ran through follow-up ‘Gloss Drop’, this time bringing in guest vocalists.

But there’s more to prove with ‘La Di Da Di’, hence why they’re emphasising their inquisitive alter-ego, more so than the powerful stamp racing within the record itself. Going it alone and shunning guest spots, they reach their stop-start, second-guessing peak on this third LP. ‘Summer Simmer’ builds from shard-like parts to divine chaos. ‘Dot Com’ appropriately sounds like an old-school computer growing legs and running away. ‘Tricentennial’ is more doom-ridden, but ‘Non-Violence’ also works a fine contrast against the go-to temptation to label Battles a more palatable, experimental version of all-out metal.

‘La Di Da Di’ is all about self-awareness. Whenever they veer into complete self-indulgence, Battles rein it in. As soon as raw force holds the ropes, they throw in a strange work like ‘Cacio e Pepe’ to restore the balance. Without any voices swimming around the noise, the record does lack the variety that came before. Instead, this is a stubborn embracing of all the weird things that make up this unique trio.

Tags: Album Reviews, Reviews, Battles