Dream Pop Rock Band, Bat Lanyard, Releases Self-titled Album Ripe for New
Beginnings
By: Nadia Sobehart
Bat Lanyard—the duo comprised of life-long collaborators Matt Thompson
and Nick Davis—releases their long-anticipated self-titled album, Bat
Lanyard. The 10-track record is a culmination of years of back-and-forth
collaboration across state lines and multiple genres. Featuring “Burned Out
Lovers,” “Know Your Name,” and “Yellow Paper,” the debut album is guaranteed to
leave listeners with a favorite new song.
“Our new album is a journey,” tells Matt Thompson, the engineer and
producer behind the album. “It takes you a lot of places.” Nick Davis, sharing
the roles of writer, guitarist, vocalist, and keyboardist with Matt, adds, “Our
music is dream pop rock.”
Bat Lanyard delivers songs that are both reminiscent of music you once
loved and refreshing all the same. The musical stylings of the album tiptoe
across genres including soft rock, electronica, dream pop, and metal
alternative pop. “Indie alternative rock is a bit narrow for the things we
like,” shares the band. “Bat Lanyard is melancholy sonic, open-minded
frustration, and love.”
“Burned Out Lovers,” the second song on the record, is known for its
catchiness and soundscape. “It says a lot about what our style is and what we
put into music—whether it’s keys or guitar. It’s the perfect combination of our
styles blended into one song. It was hard to choose a single because every time
we had an idea of what we thought should be the single, we realized that
different people like different songs on the album for their own reasons.”
“We wanted the album to have a certain flow and a bit of a sonic story
written in a particular order that takes you through ups and downs. The album
tells a story with different moods and feelings throughout.”
In their college days, the duo played together in a variety of cover
and original alternative rock bands, playing at local clubs and parties. They
also put out a six-song EP, “Big Oak.” After their time in Oklahoma, Matt went
on to front the Dallas, Texas-based band, Quickserv Johnny, coming out with two
albums on Rainmaker Records and touring the area.
Nick and Matt continued collaborating at a distance and occasionally reunited
to play local shows with band Fred Scott. They eventually came together as Bat
Lanyard and consolidated efforts to create the self-titled album, Bat
Lanyard.
“We’ve known each other for a while and working together on and off
we’ve come to appreciate each other’s musical talents and what we can do. We
were in a college band together, but it’s really these last few years
collaborating on songs that have solidified our friendship. We have mutual
respect for each other’s talents.”
It is the merging of unique skillsets that makes Nick and Matt a
strong duo. “Matt is a great musician and songwriter yet was able to get into
production at a high level and is really good at it. That has allowed us to
build.”
“Nick writes the majority of the lyrics and has the ability to say
something simple with depth and meaning to it that’s really hard to do in
songwriting,” shares Matt of their creative process. “There are a ton of songs
out there that are none of that. Our music means different things to different
people.”
Bat Lanyard has been writing music across state lines by collaborating
asynchronously. “Our process has evolved and gotten more intensive as we
learned things about our song process. We haven’t lived in the same place since
college, but thanks to technology, we’ve been able to share tracks virtually.”
“I’ll write something and throw it to Matt, and he’ll add a lyric or
melody change or cool part. Back and forth, it becomes a song,” explains Nick.
The two convene at times at Matt’s studio for a multiple-day recording session,
where they agree in advance which songs to knock out during that period. “We
build the songs out organically. If a song doesn’t get there during that time,
we drop it.”
Coming up next for Bat Lanyard is a series of new songs under
development, including many that didn’t make it onto the first album. The duo
is also planning some live performances later this year.
This autumn, Bat Lanyard also looks forward to celebrating the release
of their record with a party in Dallas. “We’ve been really happy with the
feedback we’ve gotten so far. People are really supportive of our album.”
Make sure to stay connected to Bat Lanyard on all platforms for new
music, videos, and social posts.
