The Guilty Office

What is it about The Bats that we all know and love? Is it the fragile but determined vocals, the ringing psychedelic guitar jangle or the chunky rhythms that seem quintessentially "New Zealand Indie"; remote, cool, spacious, unusual but strangely familiar? Or is it the oddly melancholic yet optimistic, distant but touching sound? Whatever it is, alongside a select group of other Kiwi rock and pop bands, The Bats have a unique sound that has captured the imagination of multitudes.

For their seventh studio album, The Guilty Office, The Bats continue to refine and develop their own idiosyncratic path, whilst also adding fresh sparkle and new ideas. The strings and additional instruments come to the fore, such as on the first single "Castle Lights," and Robert Scott's songwriting has become particularly strong on tracks such as "Countersign" and "Crimson Enemy." It could have been pentagonal room they recorded in at John Kelcher's studio in Christchurch, or the proximity to the Heathcote River, but either way, the band have come up with an album that shines among their best.