Pitchfork

Last week we premiered "Atlas", the first single from Battles' upcoming LP, Mirrored. While we had reservations about the addition of vocals, "Atlas" won us over. We said:

"Here, [Tyondai] Braxton's vocals are digitized, stretched, and manipulated into an analog alien sing-along-- something like a Munchkin chorus if filtered through the Knife's eerie lens-- while drummer John Stanier's bounding, clockwork beat propels its sparse surroundings. Other instruments tentatively dip in toes before backing off, then running straight in for a full dive. And then, finally, everything clicks together with machine-like precision for the curtain call, 20 seconds during which every churning rhythmic element coalesces."

Now we're pleased to bring you Battles' fantastic video for "Atlas". True to the album title, the video takes place in a mirrored square that floats in the middle of a black space. The band are in close quarters here, which only reinforces the tightness of the track, how each instrument locks together with the others. Some shots only show Stanier, whose drum work here (which, by the way, sounds less like "The Beautiful People" than it did last week!) is the rigid structure the rest of the song hangs on to. Seeing the band working like this, their energy peaking and recessing and moving with the track, only gets us even more excited to see them perform their new material live.

The video was directed by photographer Timothy Saccenti.