Punk Rock Quartet Screech Bats have announced that their sophomore EP Wish You Were Her will be self-released on 30th March 2018. As the follow-up to 2016’s self-titled extended play, vocalist Esme Baker explains it’s inspiration: ‘It’s about women who have, for entirely different reasons, had a profound impact on my life, but are no longer in it. Including a feminine face in the artwork to mirror the title but somehow censor the eyes, gives the character anonymity, making whoever we are talking about a total enigma.’
Reminiscent of the artwork of their debut, but more refined, it serves to highlight the maturity that the quartet’s music has found in the past 2 years. Case in point is the lead single Get Better which is streaming below!
Baker revealed ‘It is arguably quite a challenging and unusual song, but that is one of the reasons we decided to lead with it! It is our only track from the EP that is in 6/8 time and has a somewhat abnormal structure, but above anything is the message. The lyrics are much deeper than the surface appearance of missing someone – the song is about suffering with mental health and being put in recovery, ultimately understanding the value of the doctor and her staff who, in a very literal sense, saved my life. The song has a positive message of how it is possible to recover, and we all feel strongly that this is a message that cannot be put out there enough during this current epidemic of still largely stigmatised mental health conditions.’
Completed by Lexi Clark on Drums, Rio Hellyer on Bass and Kit Reeve on Guitar, Screech Bats began life as a side project of Hearts Under Fire. With a grungy, riot girl ethos at heart, the members gelled so well that as Kit and Lexi’s other band went on hiatus, they decided to stick together, with Baker recalling: ‘Band practices were fun and something we looked forward to every week. Having a laugh is very much at the core of everything we do, but we are also very serious about the band and the music we write.’
As an act devoid of any male members, Screech Bats openly recount many instances of their gender standing front and centre stage: ‘It’s awful. But it’s a reality for every non-male band out there. In our opinion, the whole industry needs to stop seeing gender as a genre. We are not a ‘girl band’ just because none of us have penises. We want to live in a world where we don’t get booked as a novelty – we want to get booked solely on merit. We don’t want to have to explain to anyone that we are not a female band because this should not be a topic – we need to see a shift towards just listening to the music, not having to consider what it is we have between our legs.’
Recording Wish You Were Her with James T Boom of Sonic Boom Six, often until the early hours in a Blackpool rehearsal room, the band opted to strip back to a rawer form of their sound. The result is a heart-on-sleeve alternative rock with punk rock roots, topped off with distinctly British vocals à la Lower Than Atlantis; the influence of the likes of Against Me! and Jimmy Eat World is clear. Discussing lyrical content the band reveal: ‘We always want to attack topics that are real, thought-provoking and unpredictable – not tired or cliché. Most of the lyrics are drawn from experience and on this EP covers the aforementioned issues with mental health and recovery, as well as death and grief, one night stands, aging, settling down and learning how and when to end a relationship once it’s run its course. We want to make dark, often ‘taboo’ topics, approachable with a positive message.’
Currently Announced Screech Bats Dates: 03.02.18 – Boileroom, Guildford | 23.02.18 – Nambucca, London | 01.04.18 – Lady Luck, Canterbury | 04.04.18 – The Monarch, Camden, London | 05.04.18 – Boileroom, Guildford | 02.06.18 – Camden Rocks Festival