Bright-eyed and bushy-bearded, Bat City Rhythm drops their full-length debut, “Follow Me.”
Story by Henry Youtt
Photos courtesy of Bat City Rhythm
Red River Street’s music scene floods with waves of alternative artists. Between natives and new-in-towns, Mohawk, Stubb’s and other veteran venues birth new rock groups in litters. Yet, with unsteady streams of music consumption and band popularity that changes with the tides, making a name for yourself on the downtown venue strip can feel like a shot in the dark.
It’s a good thing, for one group of nocturnal newcomers, that has never been a problem.
Forged in the fires of Austin’s own alternative rock scene and named after the city’s favorite flying mammals, this funk-rock four piece blends southern groove into their original take on ambitious alt-rock. Bat City Rhythm are all about feeling good and, on their debut album, “Follow Me,” the Austin rock group picks up where their self-titled EP left off, bringing their blithe beats city-wide.
“Follow Me” is a mellow medley of soul-rock sound. The record opens up with its purely smooth title track “Follow Me,” a song conservative in adornment but with enough folksy charm to invite you into the silky swagger of “Turn Green,” a stand-out on the album. Through sinister guitar riffs and slick vocals, the foursome turns singer-songwriter on its head, delivering a tone often as anthemic as it is intimate. The bold tenacity of “The Man” and the arresting grit of “What We Came For” brims with empowering personality, punctuated by their hotshot attitude.
Musing about relationships, existentialism and resisting convention, lead vocalist Nick Swift infuses each song with character that becomes more honest and actualized as the melodies progress along the track list. “Warm Whiskey” and “Jones,” full of laid-back richness, make the album so sweetly intoxicating yet inarguably authentic. To these Austinites, there’s a beauty in brashness, a resonance in realness.
Now, with one killer LP under their belt, it seems hopeful that this band just might be tough enough to last the test of time on Austin’s Red River. But, who’s to say? If you asked me, Bat City Rhythm isn’t necessarily here for a long time. No, these fun-loving, humbly show-stopping locals are here for a good time.
