Itinerant by nature, New Zealands Batrider has steadily acquired and shed members as mainstay Sarah Chadwick has traversed the globe over the years. Following an initial stint in its native country, the band set up shop in Australia until a move to London presented Europe within clear striking distance. And so Batrider has settled for now, and even has a steady lineup in its current three-piece incarnation. This inaugural U.S. tour comes after the release of the bands new album, Why We Cant Be Together, a spooky march towards collapse over the course of 14 tracks and two hidden ones. Chadwicks cigarette-raked voice contorts in the service of bracing, personal lyrics, while grimy gobs of bass, guitar, and drums spatter on all sides. Its a misanthropic racket informed as much by blues and garage as botched relationships and careening benders. Amid so many songs and a confronting emotional core, Batrider doesnt sand down a single rough edge. With Post Adolescence, Eighteen Individual Eyes, Stereo Sons. DOUG WALLEN
Thu., Nov. 12, 9 p.m., 2009
