Championed by Steve Lamacq, Amy Lame, Huw Stephens and Adam Walton, the group are already making their mark on the industry. Back around Eastertime, they released their latest single “Anteater” Anyone that has seen The Family Battenberg live before is sure to recognise it from past set-lists. The group have played it as an unreleased track amongst their own shows and a host of major festivals, namely, Green Man 2023, Trans Musicales 2024, Reeperbahn 2024 and ESNS 2025.
This track is an independent release by the South Walian four-piece. Written in just a day, it was recorded at Tom Rees’ (Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard) studio while he was on holiday. To master the recording the group sought out long-time collaborator Eddie Al-Shakarchi (Boy Azooga, Loathe, Swim Deep.) Aligning with the soundscape that’s signature to them, ‘Anteater!’ is The Family Battenberg finessed. Drenched in fuzzy saturation, spacey vocals ricochet between a blistering guitar, all while a double-tracked mono drum plays like a call to action.
This is an anti-love song. When unhealthy adoration becomes a quest for romance, or approval in this case, we find ourselves doing strange things. In this story, the protagonist justifies total metamorphosis in the name of subservience. “It’s self-humiliation in the pursuit of a potential suitor’s attention,” as frontman Eliot puts it. At the beginning, I mentioned seeing the band live, they are appearing this coming weekend in Blackpool,, ahead of a your in November that will take them to Bristol, Sheffield, Manchester, London & Birkenhead.
The Family Battenberg Online
https://www.instagram.com/thefamilybattenberg/?hl=en-gb
https://www.facebook.com/thefamilybattenberg/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/769i8WlIx04arCTdFaIvbd
https://thefamilybattenberg.bandcamp.com/merch
‘Good God, that’s Genius!’
Adam Walton, BBC Introducing
