AMG Review of EP B [EP]

Francis Arres
All Music Guide

Battles offers up more instrumental math rock on the band's B EP on Dim Mak. The quartet grooves and messes with those grooves throughout the 30 minutes of the EP. A highlight is "IPT2," which Battles gives an interesting 5ive Style-ish groove, mixing in solid, funky drums with dub-style guitar and keyboard melodies, accentuated with handclaps. Another highlight is the closer, "DANCE" -- spazz funk with tight rhythms from the drums, guitar, and keyboards (picture the Meters playing on the moon). Where these tracks succeed, the lengthy fourth track, "BTTLS," crushes the highlights of this EP. Being the longest track at 12 minutes, "BTTLS" wanders into experimental ambience and glitch that seemingly goes nowhere, leaving the listener frustrated and wondering why Battles chose to stick this in the middle of an EP. Battles' third EP in three months, B is another sketchbook revealing where the group could end up in the future.