Fitting in well to the Indie battle ground
Battle are a band whose name seems to have been appearing a lot as support acts, or low down stage running orders at festivals for a long time; as 2005 was the year they made their mark in the alternative live arena. In fact this is only their second single, 'Demons' their first sold out in a matter of hours. Aside from Reading, Leeds and T in the Park, they supported Subways, Rakes and Bloc Party, and it is the latter whose music is most reminiscent on this track.
'Tendencies' has the pace of a Bloc Party song, but is more melodic. Whereas Bloc Party have an aggressive nature to a lot of their songs, certainly on the strength of this, Battle seem to be going for the more melancholic approach.
There is an echoey and spacious atmosphere to the catchy guitar rifts, a sound that gives this a live feel, something that suits this style of music well. The guitar work is the most dominant aspect, as the tune of the vocals doesn't live as long in the memory.
Their debut album is being ear marked as one to watch out for with interest in 2006. As the likes of Bloc Party and Editors have proved, this kind of energetic Indie can sell records by the truck load, however it is important to have a number of killer singles up your sleeve as well as a strong live show if this is to happen. 'Tendencies, is a track which certainly demands a second and third listen, however it's not something which sticks in your head for days after.
The crucial thing with bands such as this is: are they going to have the strength and depth to their music to survive given that there is a large amount of bands of this nature around?
It will be interesting to see what impact this track has and how Battle develop over the next twelve months.