Following up their January single, 26 BATS! is back with the next track from their forthcoming EP, Sweet Fang . This time the genre-fluid quintet is back with "National Anthem," a scathing look at the American existence and the privilege that "us white folks" enjoy on a regular basis.  "National Anthem" hits you from the get-go as Bailey Cogan paints a picture of the apathetic middle Americans. "Mom's drunk and dad's watching TV / I think they're stuck doing the same thing," Cogan laments. The situation is a common occurrence in the Orwellian existence that seems to plague our world. Cogan croons over a smoldering r&b ballad continuing to pick at society's failures with its unflinching look at Flint Michigan and unrestricted consumerism. The track is unrepentant in its criticisms choosing brutal honesty in the hope that it may lead to future change before the world ends.  " National Anthem " is out now. Liste...

(Cover art by Kai Peterson ) Nailing down the sound of the genre-fluid jazz-punk quintet 26 BATS! is quite the task. It's a little bit of jazz, a little bit of R&B, a little bit of indie rock, and enough soul to make it interesting. However, that's just how bandleader Bailey Cogan wants it. The band released its sophomore record Onyx in December of 2018, and now the band is back with the single "Magnified Iris," one of the first releases of 2020. "Magnified Iris" leaves the listener drifting as the band carefully dances around each other. Starting off subtly, the song grows as the imagery becomes more chaotic, leading to a melodic breakdown as Cogan asks, "When will I learn to harness divine intuitive dynamisms?" The last minute and a half of "Magnified Iris" finds the band vamping over the main melody, expertly playing off one another like we have come to expect with the band. 26 BATS! have definitely set the bar high as we st...