BATTLEMODE IS THE VIBRANT AND IRREPRESSIBLY ENERGETIC WORK OF MISMATCHED BUT INSEPARABLE FRIENDS ASTRO, BIFF, AND SAM. TOGETHER THEY CREATE DYNAMIC ELECTRO POP THAT EMBRACES THE SOUNDS OF THE PAST IN ORDER TO LOOK FORWARD; INCORPORATING THE GLITCHY 8-BIT CHIPTUNE SOUNDS THAT ACCOMPANIED ADOLESCENT DAYS SPENT PLAYING GAMEBOYS, AND REINVIGORATING THEM AMONGST CONTEMPORARY SYNTH TONES AND FRESH BEATS. 

THEY CALL THEIR STYLE “COLOR PUNK”. MAYBE NOT PUNK IN THE STEREOTYPIC MOLD OF DISTORTED POWER CHORDS AND BREAKNECK TEMPOS (ALTHOUGH THOSE MIGHT MAKE OCCASIONAL APPEARANCES), BUT IN THE UNCOMPROMISING REFUSAL TO CONFORM. PUNK IN THEIR DESIRE TO CREATE MUSIC WITH THE TOOLS AVAILABLE AT HAND. REGARDING THE INCLUSION OF “COLOR” IN THEIR STYLISTIC DESCRIPTOR, TAKE ONE LOOK AT ANY OF THE RAINBOW-SOAKED PHOTOS OF THE TRIOS AND THERE’S NO DOUBT WHERE THAT MONIKER COMES FROM. THIS IS SOME UPLIFTING HIP HOP, EUROPOP, GAMEBOY-WIELDING, VIOLIN-SLINGING FUN. 

THE TRIO’S FRIENDSHIP WAS FORGED IN THEIR SHARED LOVE OF CHIPTUNE, BUT IT IS PERHAPS THEIR INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES THAT MOST CONTRIBUTE TO THE UNIQUE FLAVOR OF THEIR MUSICAL OUTPUT.

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Press

Love is a losing game for Boston trio Battlemode, who power down an old romance on their newest single [‘Playlist’]. With every loop of an ex’s playlist, the electro-pop group treads a rut of abandoned love, tweaking the sound of defeat into an aching chiptune lament.” – The Boston Globe

“No pun intended, this slick single could sneak its way onto the playlists of people who, for better or worse, don’t own Yoshi-themed underpants. It’s a new dawn and a new day. That little green dino’s gonna get along just fine.” – Hump Day News

“‘Playlist’ sounds like Ibiza in August. And Sheffield in 1980. And a classic Casey Kasem countdown jam. And the Pill at Great Scott, yacht rock, pop hip hop, NKOTB, Super Mario Brothers, and the St. Elmo’s Fire soundtrack. And it sounds like these all at once. But that’s not what’s so impressive about ‘Playlist.’ Somehow this local trio crammed all this into a power packed Top 40 groove that’s actually effortlessly fun.” – Boston Herald

“The summer time is the perfect time to discover a group like Battlemode because, with a smoking hot song like ‘Playlist’ we have a feeling Battlemode is going to be the talk of the town.” – The Whole Kameese

“Boston chiptune pop trio Battlemode [release] a gem of a single with ‘Playlist’. This synth-laden banger is officially out today (July 19) with an upbeat structure counteracting the heartbroken lyrics. For those not familiar with the chiptune genre, it’s a type of electronic music that features the use of a Game Boy as an instrument. As Battlemode, Astro Logique handles that role while Sam Mulligan shreds on guitar and Biff LeCup plays the violin, keyboard and aerophone. The band’s collective vocal delivery embraces harmony in excellent fashion with each member either alternating or uniting in that aspect.” – Culture Beat

“[T]he Boston trio have something that works on their chiptune single. Maybe it’s just that the song is saturated with 90's nostalgia, and even music…from TRL is now kind of fun. It could also just be the killer synths that propel the track to unexpected heights. Or, it could simply be that at this point in our lives, we could all just use some fun... especially when it involves music that combines 90's pop, hip hop, and video game sounds. Oh, and saxophone.” – If It’s Too Loud