by Ljubinko Zivkovic (@zivljub)
Battle Ave have been around for a while now, actually since 2009. Those who had a chance to follow them probably noticed that after their four or so initial releases they seem to have disappeared. Now they seem to be back fully on track (hopefully), with their self-titled EP. So, what was going on? Actually, quite a few things. Fatherhood, graduation, new members, Samantha Niss, drummer and one of the two founding members being diagnosed with cancer.
Luckily, Niss is back, along with the other co-founder, guitarist/vocalist Jesse Doherty, and so is their obvious love for the music of the nineties, the good stuff that came up during that decade, that is. That good stuff usually came from independent alternative bands - intricate guitar arrangements, subtle arrangements and as much melody coming through the vocals as possible. Add to that toned-down shoegaze and post-rock tempo changes that tone down the prog elements to a minimum.
Listening to this EP brings fond memories of bands like The Lilys (at their more mellow) and The Kingsbury Manx. Other names are surely bound to come to mind along the way. Yet, what makes this Battle Ave EP their own is the cohesion and understanding of what each member is bringing to the music. You see, the EP was mostly recorded and arranged remotely, as they put it, “like a game of Exquisite Corpse… the band mostly cobbled their parts together without knowing what anyone else was going to do.”
Usually, such music comes out in patches, where the listener can sense where the sutures are, but not here. There is a natural, intricate flow to the five tracks here, with the closer “There Can't Be Love” one of the better tracks of 2021.