INTRO BY MADDEN LEVIN
INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY
PHOTO COURTESY OF BATTLE TAPES
A band with many genres and talents is very special; that's why we love Battle Tapes so much! Battle Tapes' EP Form released recently and has been receiving great feedback, so we had to catch up with the band and find out how it has been and what their plans are for the future. Make sure to check the band out on all their social medias!
In your own words, how would you describe your music?
BATTLE TAPES: "Heavy-ish. Pop-ish, dancey, electronic laden with bit of a punk rock spirit. Someone once said to me that our music “Punches you in the face while touching your heart.” I think that’s a fair assessment."
Who are some of your musical influences?
BATTLE TAPES: "We have a fairly wide range of influence. From T. Rex to Fred Falke. For our latest EP, Form, we tapped into things I think we peripherally heard through our patents and older siblings growing up. Records like Depeche Mode‘s Violator and George Michael’s Faith."
Is there an artist or band that you guys would love to work with in the future, whether it be on a song, tour, or something else?
BATTLE TAPES: "Oh Jesus, How much time you got? Short list? I’d love to tour or write with Queens of the Stone age. Those guys are the consistently amazing, album after album. Big fans of Boys Noize, Oliver, Com Truise, and Does it offend you, yeah?. Aside from being a fan, I think the opportunity to compliment each other artistically is there."
Recently you guys released your EP Form – can you tell us the process on creating it?
BATTLE TAPES: "We struggled at first to find our direction on this EP. We ended up taking what we called a 'Radical Sabatical' to Palm Springs where we could write and create, free of the everyday trappings of Los Angeles. We went in writing without any intent. Just creating for creation sake. We ended up coming back to LA with a load of new ideas that eventually became Form."
Of the songs on the EP, which do you think best represents you as a band?
BATTLE TAPES: "Oh. That’s a tough question. Hmmm, I think as far as represents us as a band, Last Resort & Spa is a fair, 'Hi, nice to meet you!' song. Its got a lot of the qualities I mention in your first question. It’s heavy, its vulnerable, a little goofy, with a few cheeky lyrics."
How do you think your music has grown over the years?
BATTLE TAPES: "It’s become more refined, for sure. We’ve tried to work faster and smarter, and tried to create an environment that doesn’t allow us to over think what we are doing, focusing more on just executing. I’d like to think of our path less like a car going from point A to point B and more of a ship rising and sinking with the swell of the tides. "
Is there anything we can expect from you guys in the near future?
BATTLE TAPES: "More, more, more. We are definitely on a creative high at the moment. Extending further than just music. We want to try new things in all facets of our output channels. New Ideas for shows, videos, social interaction, etc. New solutions to the same old problems."