Battery Kids, The - Ouija (EP)
» The Vasco Era - Governor Hindmarsh, SA - November 11, 2006
The latest EP from The Battery Kids is a first for the band in many ways. Not only does it mark the first release since the former Adelaide group relocated to Melbourne, but Ouija is also the first selection of material to be recorded and produced by the band themselves.
Following their debut record We’re Just Hanging While the Rats All Gather and the Vultures Circle Overhead, the simpler titled Ouija brings all the elements of frenzied rock that The Battery Kids are known for together in a neat six-song package. ‘Desperation Will Turn Honest Men Into Outlaws’ is a fitting EP opener, wasting no time in plunging the listener into the deep end of a fantastically executed combination of drums and keys. Shannon Juvan’s vocals are haunting and possess an almost eerie quality that provides the track with a real entertaining and theatrical quality which continues the whole way through into the following song, ‘Nail (In Her Coffin)’.
I particularly enjoyed how well the band is able to take things down a few notches and produce moments of relative calmness on the record. ‘The Truth (We’re All Gonna Die)’ sways back and forth, being both harmonious and deliciously melancholic at the same time. It shows The Battery Kids in a new light, as previously I don’t think I’d heard them sound so crisp and precise in both delivery and arrangement. A cover of Roy Orbison’s ‘Crying’ is another example of how the band has harnessed the ability to not become too reliant on the effect of their instruments and let vocals take lead in a way that doesn’t make them one of those punk bands with a singer who feels the need to scream or yell his way through every syllable.
I hope 2012 sees The Battery Kids tour this material more, as I’d love to see how these tracks are delivered in a live capacity, as it seems like they’ve really learned a lot over the past year and have thrown everything they have in their creative arsenal into this EP. An enjoyable listen for those times where you want to get stuck into some fast-paced keys and guitar, but be able to recognise what’s being sung at you at the same time.
