A dead-eyed visage staring out grimly from the cover of last year’s triumphant double album My Life in Steel and Concrete quick-sketched an instant portrait of Quin Galavis, Dead Space/False Idol member and young, tortured artist. The Battery Line opener “Garden Wall” churns grimier than anything on Steel and Concrete or the lo-fi twang of solo bow Should Have Known You in 2011, dirty guitars punctuated by fuzz bursts that quickly indulge a Nineties alt-rock manic depression built on a muted, minor key verse with a louder, major key chorus. And yet, once the electric folk of “No Return” jangles the Byrds on antidepressants, it’s clear Galavis’ third disc shakes a delightfully mixed bag. Full-on punk rock as reimagined by a Smiths fan (“Any Head”), a few attempts at following up the Velvet Underground’s “Black Angel’s Death Song” (“Paul’s Phone Is Dead,” “Bleed With Me”), and guest appearances from local luminaries ranging from A Giant Dog’s Sabrina Ellis and Graham Low to avant percussion hero Thor Harris all rally the broad rockist ambitions of The Battery Line. If misery loves company, it’ll adore Quin Galavis.
This article appears in June 23 • 2017.
