Bats: Foothills

The Bats have officially announced their 10th full-length album Foothills.Spanning the last 38 years The Bats have clocked nine incredible albums each one seeing the band evolve with new material from the prolific songwriting hand of Robert Scott. Add to that tally the extra singles b-sides EPs compilations and tribute songs theyve recorded creating a succinct setlist is a nearly impossible task.Foothills was recorded in Spring 2018 at a country retreat pop-up studio. At that time 15 songs were captured and immortalised in the Canterbury foothills of the Southern Alps Aotearoa New Zealand. Only too well The Bats know the possibilities potentialities and sonic vistas that arise when one takes the reins for the recording process in a beautiful place thats on home turf.Robert Scott on the making of Foothills has said Time marches on... finally we found a gap in our busy lives and chose a week to convene. We found a house that is usually inhabited by ski field workers - Kowai Bush near Springfield about an hour west of Christchurch and of course nestled in the foothills of the mighty Southern Alps. The songs had been written demod and arranged for some time but still with a little room for trying things out in the studio. Many carloads arrived at the house full of amps guitars and recording gear we set up camp and soon made it feel like home coloured lights a log fire and home cooked meals in the kitchen. We worked fast and within a few days had all the basic backing tracks done live together in one room the way we like to do it - its all about the feel for songs like ours.The Bats must hold a record in New Zealand perhaps the whole world once The Rolling Stones throw in the towel as a band that has survived with the same line-up for 38 years. No split ups no reforming for nostalgias sake.So far half the band have spots in The New Zealand Music Hall Of Fame vocalist/ guitarist Robert Scott The Clean and bassist/producer Paul Kean Toy Love and its only a matter of time before lead guitarist Kaye Woodward and drummer Malcolm Grant find themselves in there too. The four-piece has created twisted wistful folk psychedelic rock bouncy twee pop and everything in between but whatever the genre their sound is always distinctively unmistakably The Bats.Foothills is out on vinyl LP and CD via Flying Nun Records on November 13th 2020.

1.1 Trade in Silence
1.2 Warwick
1.3 Beneath the Visor
1.4 Scrolling
1.5 Another Door
1.6 Red Car
1.7 Field of Vision
1.8 Change Is All
1.9 As You Were
1.10 Smaller Pieces
1.11 Gone to Ground
1.12 Electric Sea View


H 0.19
W 12.36
L 12.46