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The Bats Fly Again With The Guilty Office

3:21 p.m. · May 6, 2009 · by Jim Allen

Kiwiphiles will have cause to rejoice on June 23, which is when The Bats are set to release their new album, The Guilty Office, on the Hidden Agenda label. The New Zealand alt-pop cult heroes have been keeping it jangly since the '80s, when leader Robert Scott first left The Clean and began keeping battier company.

The album maintains that classic Bats sound curious cave-dwellers have come to know and love -- twinkling melodic pop with just a hint of sadness beneath the gentle sparkle. But the basic Bats sound will also be filled out a bit, through the judicious use of strings and other additional instruments. "So, will they tour?" we hear you cry. Not sure yet, but if they do, please don't request any Flight of the Conchords songs at their shows. After all, you wouldn't scream out "Freebird!" at a Drive-By Truckers show, would you? Um...would you?

The Guilty Office track listing:

Countersign

Crimson Enemy

Broken Path

Like Water

Castle Lights

Two Lines

Satellites

Later On That Night

Steppin' Out

The I Specialist

The Guilty Office

The Orchard