BATTERY HENS – “GUTS” EP

When they’re not performing cheesy cover songs at novelty charity gigs, Battery Hens like to get noisy – very noisy.  This time around they’re doing it alone, where along with a digital version to download, the new EP will be available as a limited edition self-released CD lovingly assembled by the band themselves.

The unsubtly titled opening track on the Guts EP provides Battery Hens with something of an angst driven anthem.  The punch the air chorus mixed with a drawn out guitar solo and plenty of feedback, alongside drum rolls and a solid bass “Fuck Things” has everything thrown into the mix to show just what the Hens are about, and all in just over two minutes.

Having been recorded at the bass player’s home, I can only imagine it’s either a semi-detached or one with very understanding neighbours as the next song in “L.U.N.D” also leaves your windows rattling as you can foresee it inciting a live crowd into a frenzy.

The DIY approach may be raw and a little rough around the edges but there’s something to be said about bedroom recordings, the lo-fi qualities on “Towards the Sun” have the spoken words sound as though they’ve been recorded via old school cassettes, before “DNR” has Battery Hens somewhere between the seventies/eighties of Joy Division and New Order crossed with a more grunge sound of the nighties.

Whereby the opener had Battery Hens all summed up in less than two and half minutes, the closing track is three times as long but with just as much going on and continues to show what Battery Hens are capable of in what’s almost a song of two halves.

Having given the EP another listen the day after the death of Gong’s David Allen, I couldn’t help but hear a slight likeness to Gong classic “Master Builder” as psychedelic traits creep in to the first half of “Stuck” with a fuzzy bassline keeping the track going until it slows down halfway, then as the vocals drop off for the second half its effects laden crescendo brings the Guts EP to a triumphant and noisy end.

So be sure to either get your fingers ready to download, or head down to the release show at the recently resurrected Hong Kong Gardeners club to get your hands on one of those sought after physical copies – I’ve got a feeling they may not be available for long.

http://batteryhens.bandcamp.com/