Following on from the release of their video single Get Better London Quartet Screech Bats have unleashed their gritty rock sophomore EP Wish You Were Her. As the darker follow-up to 2016’s self-titled extended play, vocalist Esme Baker explains: ‘It’s about women who have, for entirely different reasons, had a profound impact on my life, but are no longer in it. Most of the lyrics are drawn from real experiences and on the whole we want to make dark, often ‘taboo’ topics, approachable with a positive message.’ Featuring artwork drawn by Baker, tattooist and owner of Boileroom Tattoo in Guildford, when not raging on stage, reveals: ‘Including a feminine face in the artwork to mirror the title but somehow censoring the eyes, gives the character anonymity, making whoever we are talking about a total enigma.’
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 male members, Screech Bats openly recount many instances of their gender standing front and centre stage: ‘It’s awful – we are not a ‘girl band’ just because none of us have penises. We have been heckled, we’ve been asked “whose girlfriends we are?’, we’ve been groped whilst trying to load in amps and at one particular show, when our bassist was moving her gear, someone shouted “the strippers arrived”. In our opinion, the whole industry needs to stop seeing gender as a genre – 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 Routh 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. The band reveal: ‘Like all bands, our songwriting has matured and we have a much better idea what our style is after being together for 2.5 years. This new EP is a lot darker lyrically and the songs are more dynamic. Covering 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 always want to attack topics that are real, thought provoking and unpredictable – not tired or cliché.’
Screech Bats Self-Released Sophomore EP Wish You Were Her yesterday.
Currently Announced Screech Bats Dates: 1st April – Lady Luck, Canterbury | 3rd April – The Moon, Bishops Stortford | 4th April – The Monarch (EP release show), London | 5th April – Boileroom, Guildford | 2nd June – Camden Rocks Festival , Dublin Castle | 29th June – The Star Inn, Guildford