Rolling Stone Premieres Battleme's 'Nights on the Strand'

By: Caryn Robbins Jan. 24, 2014

"Nights on the Strand," from Battleme's upcoming Future Runs Magnetic LP, finds the singer-songwriter contemplating annihilation against a deceptively quiet backdrop. Battleme, a.k.a. Matt Drenik, got his start as frontman for Austin rockers Lions. But after penning "Burn This Town" for Sons of Anarchy, he began to focus on songs for the show and his solo work. "Nights on the Strand" finds Battleme using the skills he picked up writing tunes for SoA and adding the volume experiments of his earlier band.

Muted strumming opens the song before Battleme, in a wounded voice, considers the possibly of being erased by the sands of time. As his voice grows in intensity, a powerful drum increases the tempo. Suddenly, a guitar erupts into a hard, Smashing Pumpkins-style crunch backed by another guitar that wails like a siren. As quickly as it appears, the cacophony vanishes, and Battleme returns - again quiet, but this time with a stronger voice than when he began.

"For this song, I was obsessed with the idea of not becoming obscure or erased," Battleme tells Rolling Stone. "I think it's something that every artist has dealt with. It needed to feel like a slow burn. I wanted it to start off simple, stripped down, and by the time we figured out what was going on, I wanted it to explode. In the end, there was no feeling of being erased. It was just a mind trip - a dream."

Future Runs Magnetic is out March 11th.

Click here to listen to the song on Rolling Stone

Future Runs Magnetic is out March 11th via El Camino Media, for an advance copy please contact Stunt Company. Battleme is joining the Toadies for their Rubberneck 20th Anniversary Tour. See all confirmed dates below:
Battleme w/Toadies
March 1st @ Club 21 in Portland, OR (Battleme Headlines/Release Show)
March 19th @ Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, AZ
March 20th @ Belly Up in Salona Beach, CA
March 21st @ Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA
March 22nd @ House of Blues in Anaheim, CA
March 23rd @ The Independent in San Francisco, CA
March 25th @ Wonder Ballroom in Portland, OR
March 26th @ El Corazon in Seattle, WA
March 28th @ Park City Live in Park City, UT
March 29th @ Gothic Theatre in Englewood, CO
April 9th @ Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, OK
April 10th @ The Pageant in St. Louis, MO
April 11th @ First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN
April 12th @ Metro in Chicago, IL
April 13th @ Turner Hall in Milwaukee, WI
April 15th @ Mercury Ballroom in Louisville, KY
April 16th @ The Vogue in Indianapolis, IN
April 17th @ Bogart's in Cincinnati, OH
April 18th @ Magic Stick in Detroit, MI
April 19th @ Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, OH
April 21st @ Altar Bar in Pittsburgh, PA
April 23rd @ Royale in Boston, MA
April 24th @ Irving Plaza in New York, NY
April 25th @ The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ
April 26th @ Theatre of Living Arts in Philadelphia, PA
April 27th @ Black Cat in Washington, DC

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Rolling Stone Premieres Battleme's 'Nights on the Strand'

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