The ageless
Bats continue to defy the odds with their 2017 album,
The Deep Set. They've been a band since 1982 with the same lineup and same basic sound, and each record they release is as good as the last. Here on
The Deep Set, their jangling guitars, springy bass, and simply powerful drums remain intact;
Robert Scott's plainspoken lyrics tell the same mix of personal and mildly political stories; and the sound is as crisp and clean as ever. The only thing that's a little different is that for the first time
Scott's vocals at times come across a tiny bit gruffer and less wistful than usual. It's not any kind of problem, though, and those who took 30 or so years away from listening to the band could be fooled if you told them any song here was the follow-up to something from their 1984
By Night EP. Well, maybe "Shut Your Eyes" might not, since it's maybe the first time the band has augmented its sound with a sweeping violin section. Apart from that, every song has the trademark bounce, jauntily interlocking guitars, and winsome melodies
Bats fans have been loving for years. Stack the insistent "Antlers," the melancholy gem "Rooftops," or the lovely loping love song "Diamonds" up against any of their best songs from the past and there's no question that they belong. Indeed, the album as a whole slots in very nicely next to their best work, from 1987's
Daddy's Highway to 2011's
Free All the Monsters.