Battleme - Future Runs Magnetic (2014)

The future is definitely running bright for artist Matt Drenik, the mastermind behind Battleme. His sophomore release, Future Runs Magnetic, out March 11th on El Camino Records, is his first with a full band behind him, resulting in what KEXP Music Director Don Yates describes as “a bigger, more muscular rock sound inflected with glam, folk-rock, power pop.”

Drenik’s 2010 self-titled debut had been performed, recorded, and produced on his own, out of his basement studio in Portland, OR. While on tour for that release, he realized there can be strength in numbers. As he explained to music blog Midwest Action, “It just made sense that I couldn’t do everything on my own. I was interested and keen on the idea of bringing people into the fold to interpret certain songs.” Yates describes the results as “consistently well-crafted songs with crunchy guitars, energetic rhythms and strong melodic hooks.”