The experimental supergroup Battles, which formed as a quartet way back in 2002, has been pared down little by little over the years. At present they’re a duo comprising guitarist/keyboardist Ian Williams (Don Caballero, Storm & Stress) and drummer John Stanier (Helmet, Tomahawk). The band will be back this fall with their first album as a duo, Juice B Crypts, and judging by the first music they’re sharing from the project, the decrease in personnel has not limited the band’s frantic compositional impulse.

They did have some help with the album, though. Juice B Crypts features appearances from Tune-Yards (on the two-part closing track “Last Supper On Shasta”), Shabazz Palaces, Xenia Rubinos, Jon Anderson, and Prairie WWWW. And lead single “Titanium 2 Step” matches them with Sal Principato of post-punk legends Liquid Liquid, who wails and whimpers and howls all over the band’s busily skronking insanity. The song is billed as an homage to New York, where all involved parties are based, and you can certainly hear the resemblance to Manhattan’s nonstop chaos.

Listen below, where you can also find Juice B Crypt’s tracklist and Battles’ tour dates.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Ambulance”
02 “A Loop So Nice…”
03 “They Played It Twice” (Feat. Xenia Rubinos)
04 “Sugar Foot” (Feat. Jon Anderson & Prairie WWWW)
05 “Fort Greene Park”
06 “Titanium 2 Step” (Feat. Sal Principato)
07 “Hiro 3″
08 “IZM” (Feat. Shabazz Palaces)
09 “Juice B Crypts”
10 “Last Supper On Shasta Pt. 1″ (Feat. Tune-Yards)
11 “Last Supper On Shasta Pt. 2″ (Feat. Tune-Yards)

TOUR DATES:
08/14 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
08/16 – Compton Martin, UK @ ArcTanGent Festival
08/17 – Taranto, IT @ Cinzella Festival
10/23 – Berlin, DE @ SchwuZ
10/24 – Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
10/25 – London, UK @ EartH (Hackney Arts Centre)
10/28 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Gorilla
10/30 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo (Parc de la Villette)
10/31 – Borgerhout, BE @ TRIX
11/01 – Turin, IT @ Club To Club Festival 2019
12/01 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
12/02 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne
12/03 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
12/04 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
12/07 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
12/08 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
12/10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg
12/11 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

Juice B Crypts is out 10/18 on Warp. Pre-order it here.

CREDIT: Chris Shonting