BATRIDER – WHY WE CAN’T BE TOGETHER

Batrider’s CD insert is like an intensely private diary. Flipping through it feels like you’re burrowing deep into someone’s most acidic, honest thoughts: “Wanted to die at ten o’clock/by lunchtime that had passed/at 2pm I felt like God”. These scribbled words mirror the painfully honest lyrics droning out of the speakers, painting a bleak picture of, I suppose, Batrider’s reality. For their second full-length, this ex-Wellington garage rock troupe have put out an immensely ambitious live record. Consisting of 13 tracks culled from 40, there’s no denying their dogged intention to make a brilliant garage album – and for the most part they succeed. The opening couple of tracks are Batrider at their dirtiest: all bare drums, 80’s tambourine and kiwi-accented bluesy vocals. But then it slides down a sludgy, desolate tunnel towards the middle of the album and wanders aimlessly around songs like Can’t Keep Up and Step And Slide. Fitting for the genre, but not so great for multiple listens. This album wasn’t meant for mass appreciation, that’s pretty clear, but it is a solid flag-bearer for garage rock that will appeal to those who like to pry into the private world of the subconscious.

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