by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Battle Ave have now been a band for over a decade, but it’s been six years since they released their last album, Year of Nod. The hiatus however is over and the Hudson Valley/Catskills based band are back with their strongest effort yet, a self-titled EP due out on October 8th. Known for a combination of ethereal folk, Americana, and lo-fi indie rock, there’s a “rural cabin in the trees” kind of feel to their music, one that should be of interest to fans of Big Thief and Trace Mountains. Battle Ave aren’t simply following trends though, they’ve been perfecting their warm and wistful sound since their earliest days.
Following the great lead single, “My Year With The Wizard,” comes “Fear Of,” a woozy song that sits somewhere between folk and slowcore. It’s immediately engaging, putting your mind on a front porch, deep in the woods, a dream state of escape, unaware if you’re conscious or still asleep. The home recording is full of texture, from soft brushed rhythms to widening guitar refrain, everything glides together in a thick morning fog, but “Fear Of” is wonderfully constructed to suit the most serene of sunsets.
Speaking about the song, Battle Ave’s Jesse Doherty shared:
“This is one of two songs on the EP written and recorded remotely; the band mostly cobbled their parts together without knowing what anyone else was going to do. I like how this process made the song sound like it was written “exquisite corpse” style. The melody and lyrics for this song came to me right after waking up, and I wanted to keep the whole song feeling the way I felt that morning, in a groggy half-dream. Most of the songs I've written since my last album have been focused on trying to understand others... I think for this one I wanted to try to understand myself and be a bit more tender with myself than I usually am.”