Battles are an American rock band which formed in 2002. The group is composed of drummer John Stanier (formerly of Tomahawk and Helmet), guitarist/keyboardist Ian Williams (formerly of Don Caballero and Storm and Stress), guitarist Dave Konopka (formerly of Lynx), and guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Tyondai Braxton (son of Avantgarde Jazz musician Anthony Braxton).
Battles released three EPs in 2004, each on a different label (Cold Sweat, Monitor and Dim Mak). Their debut LP, Mirrored, was recorded by Keith Souza and released on 14 May 2007 to widespread critical acclaim, and generated a fair amount of buzz in indie rock circles.
The album received an extremely high score of 9.1 in a Pitchfork Media review; “Atlas”, meanwhile, was voted “best single of the week” by NME, and received a glowing review in the UK’s Clash Magazine where comparisons were made to Glitter Beat. The band scored their first UK cover feature in May 2007, talking to Plan B Magazine about the making of Mirrored.
