Battosai by Yolanda Ataraxia
Battosai by Yolanda Ataraxia
New Music

Spanish rockers BATTOSAI break down new album “Lágrimas y Milagros” track by track

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BATTOSAI’s second album, Lágrimas y Milagros, arrives on October 31, 2024, via Spinda Records, but today we are honored to give you a full roundup of each and every track, with a special commentary from the band.

Emerging from Santiago de Compostela, Spain, the band continues to fuse alternative rock, post-hardcore, Midwest emo, and post-grunge into a sound that’s sharpened by life’s harsh realities.

This album serves as a reflection on resilience and growth, capturing a journey that blends personal crisis, introspection, and catharsis. The release features 12 tracks, each diving into themes of impermanence, transformation, and the necessity of embracing vulnerability.

Three years after their debut, BATTOSAI brought forward singles “Estrellas,” “Milagro,” and “Nunca es suficiente,” each accompanied by an official video, showcasing the band’s ability to push sonic and thematic boundaries.

Produced in collaboration with Santi García, the album was recorded and mixed at Ultramarinos Costa Brava, except for vocals, which were handled by Iago Lorenzo at La Casa de Goyo. The mastering by Víctor García rounds off a meticulous production that underscores the depth and complexity of Lágrimas y Milagros.

The artwork by Miguel Duarte fits into Spinda Records’ “Noisy Series,” which includes other boundary-pushing acts like Fin del Mundo, Adelaida, and Las Nubes. The album will be available in digital format, limited-edition CDs, and marbled white vinyl.

To celebrate the release, BATTOSAI will perform an intimate acoustic set at O Transistor in Bertamiráns on October 31, followed by two shows with one of our beloved Spanish bands VIVA BELGRADO in A Coruña and Vigo. The official launch event is set for Santiago de Compostela, with a national tour scheduled for early 2025, hitting cities like Madrid, Valencia, and La Línea de la Concepción.

Catch the band live at the following shows:

Battosai

31/10 | Bertamiráns @ O Transistor (acoustic showcase)
07/11 | A Coruña @ Garufa Club (+ Viva Belgrado)
22/11 | Santiago de Compostela @ Sala Sónar (release party)
23/11 | Vigo @ La Fábrica de Chocolate (+ Viva Belgrado)
14/12 | Aguiño @ Sala Real
11/01 | Vedra @ Casa da Irmandade
08/02 | Oviedo @ Almacenes
11/04 | Madrid @ Sala Rockville
12/04 | Valencia @ Ca Revoluta
17/05 | La Línea @ tba

Here’s the full tack by track commentary, both in English and Spanish:

SAVE ME:

Apart from being the first track on the album, it was also the first song composed for the record. Initially, the only premise was that it had to be in 3/4 time since we didn’t have any songs like that. After some brainstorming, it ended up with a progressive structure that we weren’t used to, which works very well to start the album. The lyrics talk about the archetype Puer Aeternus—a kind of Peter Pan who resists growing up.

SÁLVAME:

A parte de ser el primer tema del álbum también fue el primer tema que se compuso para el disco. Al principio la única premisa del tema era que fuera en 3/4 ya que no teníamos ninguna canción así. Después de darle vueltas acabó teniendo esa estructura progresiva a la que no estamos acostumbrados y que funciona muy bien para empezar el disco. La letra habla del arquetipo Puer Aeternus. Una especie de Peter Pan que se resiste a crecer.

STARS:

It was one of the last songs created for the album. We started composing it with the concept of the two guitars: one making cuts and the other maintaining a constant minor seventh chord. We experimented with it a lot in the rehearsal space to develop it. The lyrics discuss the trap of seeking happiness through success and how that’s just a patch.

ESTRELLAS:

Fue una de las últimas canciones que se hicieron en el disco. Empezamos a componerla con el concepto de las dos guitarras que suenan: una haciendo cortes y otra constante con ese acorde de séptima menor. Fuimos probando cosas y fue con la que más jugamos en el local de ensayo para desarrollarla. La letra habla de la trampa que es buscar la felicidad a través del éxito y de cómo eso simplemente es un parche.

STORM:

We aimed to create a fast song in the style of Berri Txarrak, Alexisonfire, or Foo Fighters’ “Good Grief.” Ultimately, it became a very emo/punk melodic hardcore track that speaks about shedding burdens in life to find a state of calm.

TORMENTA:

Buscábamos hacer una canción rápida en plan Berri Txarrak, Alexisonfire o tipo Good Grief de Foo Fighters. Finalmente salió un tema de Hardcore Melódico muy emo/punk que habla sobre soltar lastre en la vida para buscar un estado de calma.

FAITH:

We love current post-grunge and alternative rock bands like Basement and Superheaven. We were inspired by them to create this song. The lyrics express how sometimes we feel out of place and try anything to fit in. But deep down, what we want is to accept ourselves as we are, with our lights and shadows, because we will always find someone to share with.

FE:

Nos flipan grupos de post-grunge y rock alternativo actual como Basement y Superheaven. Nos inspiramos en ellos para hacer esta canción. La letra habla de que a veces nos sentirnos fuera de lugar e intentamos lo que sea para poder encajar. Pero en el fondo lo que queremos es aceptarnos nosotros mismos tal y como somos. Con nuestras luces y nuestras sombras porque siempre encontraremos a alguien con quien poder compartir.

MIRACLE:

It’s the grunge song of the album. A hard-rock riff in Drop D with a catchy and emotionally ambiguous chorus. Easy and straightforward, with no more complication than a breakdown featuring irregular patterns to break necks. In “Miracle,” we talk about relationships between people based on superficiality.

MILAGRO:

Es la canción grunge del disco. Un riff hard-rockero en Drop D con un estribillo pegadizo y ambiguo de emociones. Fácil, sencillo y sin más complicación que un breakdown con patrones irregulares para romper cuellos. En Milagro hablamos de las relaciones entre personas que se basan en la superficialidad.

MMXXII:

Born from a desire to experiment and get closer to shoegaze. It’s a song we created using loops that come in and out. It serves as an interlude for the two sides of the album. It speaks about using pain as a transformative element and personal growth.

MMXXII:

Nace del afán de experimentar y acercarnos al showgaze. Una canción que fuimos haciendo mediante loops que van entrando y saliendo. Sirve de interludio para las dos caras del álbum. Habla de utilizar el dolor como elemento transformador y de crecimiento personal.

NEVER ENOUGH:

This is the most visceral song on the album, mixing vulnerability and hope. The vulnerability of dark moments, where stepping aside seems like the only way out, and the jolt of realizing that it’s still possible to rise… and continue. The different sonorities in the song illustrate this journey, from the initial riffs representing collapse to the open chords in the chorus, like a ray of light that is refuge and hope.

NUNCA ES SUFICIENTE:

Es la canción más visceral del disco, en la que se mezclan vulnerabilidad y esperanza. La vulnerabilidad de los momentos oscuros, donde sacarse de en medio parece la única salida, y la sacudida de darse cuenta de que aún es posible levantarse… y seguir.

Las diferentes sonoridades del tema muestran este camino, desde los riffs del principio que representan el colapso, hasta los acordes abiertos del estribillo, como un rayo de luz que es refugio y esperanza.

BURN:

It’s a short, visceral, and very fun track inspired by hardcore bands we’ve been listening to lately (Turnstile, Drug Church, Fiddlehead…). Ideal for stage diving. This song is dedicated to those who base their self-esteem on taking advantage of and despising brilliant and genuine people.

ARDE:

Es un trallazo corto, visceral y muy divertido inspirado en grupos de hardcore que estuvimos escuchando últimamente (Turnstile, Drug Church, Fiddlehead…). Ideal para hacer Stage Diving. Este tema esta dedicado a la personas que basan su autoestima en aprovecharse y despreciar a personas brillantes y genuinas.

GRAY DAY:

It arises from the search for a mid-tempo track with dense guitars where the groove takes precedence over the frenetic pace of the rest of the album. It’s a covert loop within a classic rock structure. The lyrics narrate a grieving process, illustrating how it’s necessary to feel all that pain to emerge renewed.

DIA GRIS:

Surge de la búsqueda de un medio tiempo con guitarras densas donde el groove prima frente al frenetismo del resto del disco. Es un bucle encubierto en una estructura clásica de rock. La letra narra un proceso de duelo. De como es necesario sentir todo ese dolor para poder salir renovado.

IKIGAI:

It’s a song that had been tucked away for a long time. It has that alternative rock feel of the first album; in fact, it was left out because we couldn’t finish it at that time. It talks about the search for one’s life purpose, escaping the social pressure of what one should do.

IKIGAI:

Es una canción que llevaba mucho tiempo guardada en un cajón. Tiene ese aire de rock alternativo del primer disco, de hecho se quedó fuera porque no fuimos capaces de acabarla en aquel momento. Habla de la búsqueda del propósito vital de cada uno escapando de la presión social de lo que se debería hacer.ría hacer.

LET IT GO:

It discusses trying to find small moments of happiness in the midst of a life crisis. We played around halfway between a power ballad and a post-hardcore mid-tempo. A cathartic riff that envelops you and a powerful chorus with a wall of guitars.

DEJARLO IR:

Habla de intentar buscar pequeños momentos de felicidad en el medio de una crisis vital. Estuvimos jugando a medio camino entre la power ballad y un medio tiempo post-hardcore. Un riff catártico que te envuelve y un estribillo poderoso con un muro de guitarras.

DUST AND SAND:

This was the last song composed for the album. We wanted to create a completely stripped-down song, not hiding vulnerability behind a wall of guitars, although we have to admit we tried but it didn’t work out. The lyrics are an epitaph at the end of life.

POLVO Y ARENA:

Fue la última canción que se compuso para el disco. Queríamos hacer una canción totalmente desnuda. Sin esconder la vulnerabilidad a través de un muro de guitarras, aunque hemos de reconocer que lo intentamos pero no salio bien. La letra es un epitafio de final de vida.

Karol Kamiński

DIY rock music enthusiast and web-zine publisher from Warsaw, Poland. Supporting DIY ethics, local artists and promoting hardcore punk, rock, post rock and alternative music of all kinds via IDIOTEQ online channels.
Contact via [email protected]

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