Battle Tapes

Hailing from Los Angeles, the quartet Battle Tapes specializes in electronic rock that fuses the synth-driven nu-rave aesthetic of the late 2000s with the catchiest and most approachable qualities of Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails. The group came together in 2010 and features Josh Boardman on vocals, guitar, and programming, Riley Mackin on keyboards and vocals, Stephen Bannister on bass, and Beak Wing on drums and percussion. These four technophiles draw inspiration from Kraftwerk, Massive Attack, Soulwax, T. Rex, and Daft Punk, elements that shape both their precisely sequenced live performances and their genre-blending approach. Their earliest material took the shape of the 2011 extended single Sleepwalker, after which they issued the five-track EP Sweatshop Boys. The band’s first full-length album, Polygon, arrived in 2015 and contained the singles “Belgrade” and “Valkyrie” plus “Solid Gold,” which included a contribution from Elana Belle Carol of Party Nails. They returned in 2017 with the Form EP, spotlighting the songs “Last Resort & Spa” and “No Good.”