Interview: Bat Flattery Discuss Their Self-Titled Debut Album Ahead of Its October 2026 Release

What inspired the theme or concept behind this album?

Lyrically, the album explores themes ranging from mental illness to physical isolation, from journalistic integrity to political idiocy, ageism, social issues, crime, confusion, ire, and the long dead. Musically we look to inspire these themes in our songwriting through use of melody, calm, aggression, anger, heaviness, rawness and noise, blending and combining these forces.

Were there any particular events or emotions that shaped the songwriting?

Many. Each song is a personal account of some kind of event, be it directly involving one of us, a personal obsevation, or just an opinion. Some are political in nature, some take a look at social commentary and the way of the world, some are simply just about our love and fandom of literature and cinema.

Were there any challenges you faced during the recording process?

The recording process was a long one. Our drummer has changed a few times since we've been a band (always remaining on good terms and no fall-outs, just life gets in the way sometimes), and one of the times this happened was during the recording process, meaning that the recording is split between two different drummers.

Which track was the most fun to create, and why?

We don't tend to write during the recording process, but sometimes this can happen; our track Piane had some last-minute additions in terms of its structure, and Got Grace had a lot of its lyrics re-written following a first draft recording. We don't really have a set writing process for each song, sometimes they come from a jam, sometimes one of us will bring an idea or an entire song, but the final product is always a combined effort of all three of us.

Did any collaborations influence the sound or direction of this project?

Rob and Paul have been in the band together from the very beginning with different members joining and writing together. Naturally this change in lineup has changed the styles and influences that the individual members have nrought with them, whilst keeping the core of the bands sound solid. Artists and bands that we admire are hugely ranging in genre, diversity and style (as they aways are), but specific sounds that influence what we do are At The Drive-In, Fugazi, Jawbox, Faith No More, Shudder to Think and The Dillinger Escape Plan just to name a few, with different people comparing us to a range of artists including all of those mentioned.

Did you experiment with any new techniques, instruments, or styles on this record?

We feel that our hard work to create a specific sound definitive to us has been quite successful and is paying off. New techniques in terms of playing, vocal style etc are always welcome, but then equally they're used if they're relevent to the sound that we are going for. The work never stops for us and we are already working on the beginnings of songs our second record for somewhere down the line; we've not blown all of our tricks on this first one and we hope that the music that we look to create in the future can hone on this.

How do you feel this album represents your evolution as a band?

We have found that Rob's vocals have become an increasing presence in the sound and structure of our music since the start of the band, bringing a heavier and harsher dynamic to the music we create. Since this record is pretty much a culmination of our entire history as a band for 6 years, it showcases more or less our entire creative process from the beginning.

What do you hope your fans take away from this album?

We're really happy with everything from start to finish, and we hope that the album is enjoyed by both long-term fans and new fans alike. A lot of the songs on this record will be familiar to people who have seen us live a few times, but we've made sure to add some things on there that will be new for everybody.

Have fans influenced the direction of your music or this album in any way?

Massive, and all through their support of us. It's been quite humbling to have been in the music scene as we have been, as a lot of what people say about us has been very positive. It's been amazing to create something that people genuinely enjoy and are interested in, and this drives us to continue.

What can fans expect from your upcoming tour or album release events?

We are releasing the album 9th October at a live show at Komodo in Lincoln, and will be playing shows at dates following around the UK. Our main release show will be supported by bands Muralheart and Mild, both of which are friends of ours and will provide the event with a good variety of quality music.

Do you have any music videos planned for the album? What can you share about them?

We tend to make videos for most of our releases; there have been six singles which we have released previously, five of which have had videos. We aim to create these ourselves, entirely filmed, funded and directed within the band, which makes the process a lot of fun but also a lot of hard work. The hard work is worth it because we've been very satisfied with what we have created so far in this respect.

Is there a specific moment during the album’s creation that you’ll always remember?

We filmed a silly little trailer whilst we were filming where pretty much the plot was Rob getting beaten up and forced to perform. What fun we had.