Battles

With appearances on NPR, Esquire and Paste magazines and as two-time winners at the Boston Music Awards and in the Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll, Kingsley Flood has solidified it's reputation as a 'Rolling Thunder Revue with a punk rock sneer' (Boston Herald). Anchored by Rolling Stone premiere 'Down,' the latest full-length Battles asks a fundamental question at the heart of our current national mood - how can those who play by the rules, yet fall behind, get back on their feet? Inspired by everything from dictators clinging to power to an unemployed worker still packing his lunch every day, Battles was produced by Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Langhorne Slim, David Wax Museum) and thrives on dynamics, blending Dylan-esque storytelling with wistful, Kinks-ian pop, and the urgency of the Clash. The DC and Boston-based sextet contrasts old and new - jangly acoustic guitars with spikey electrics, gentle violins with rogue keyboards - while honoring hooks and melody. The rowdy live show earned them the title of 'Boston's best live band' by the Boston Herald.