Bat Boy is a three-piece from Richmond and their debut LP Fun Machine has been out for a couple of weeks. However, it remained untouched in my playlist until this week. What prompted the change? The shuffle function threw the wonderful Noticing Things in my lap. Perhaps it was a cosmic sign, but I didn’t even notice the song’s title before deciding the record deserved more than a cursory glance.
And so I played the record front-to-back without skipping any of the tracks. I did that a couple of times more, and I was so wrong to sit on this record. From the get-go, Fun Machine has the making of a quality indie punk record. It boasts strong melodies, a playful and energetic sound, and strikes a perfect balance between nostalgic vibes (RIYL: Discount, The Muffs,Tilt) and contemporary influences (RIYL: Lemuria, Worriers, Muncie Girls). All these elements find their rightful place in the capable hands of Bat Boy.
Four-word review: Cool band, cool record.
BAT BOY is Jake Guralnik, Cory Chub, and Hannah Eagle, who you may know respectively of Spraynard, Sundials and the podcast I’m In Love With A Girl Named Spike “A Degrassi Podcast.” Fun Machine is out now on Asian Man records.