Battles has paired down to a three-piece, but the departure of multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Tyondai Braxton hasn’t quashed my excitement for the new record, Gloss Drop, one bit. (That album title, by the way, is the win). In fact, as long as Ian Williams is on board, I’m on board. The new record is out June 7th via Warp and is to be followed by an extensive multi-continent tour spanning several months. If you fancy having your mind blown, try these guys live. Later this year the band will help curate ATP‘s Nightmare Before Christmas with Caribou and Les Savy Fav. [via Pitchfork]

Battles’ 2011 Tour Dates:

04-01 Osaka, Japan – Zettai-Mu
04-03 Tokyo, Japan – Sonar Sound
04-07 Rotterdam, Netherlands – Binnenstad
04-08 Rotterdam, Netherlands – Motel Mosaique
04-09 Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Out of the Crowd
04-10 Berlin, Germany – Festsaal Kreuzberg
04-11 Brussels, Belgium – Domino Festival
04-12 Lille, France – Aeronef
04-15 Milan, Italy – Elita Festival
04-20 London, England – ICA
04-26 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
04-27 New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
04-29 Toronto, Ontario – Horseshoe
04-30 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
05-02 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
05-03 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
05-04 Portland, OR – Doug Fir
05-05 Seattle, WA – Crocodile
05-27 Barcelona – Primavera Sound
05-28 Dudingen, Switzerland – Kilbi Festival
05-31 Marseille, France – Espace Julien
06-02 Poitiers, France – Confort Moderne
06-03 Brighton, England – Concorde 2
06-04 Manchester, England – O2 Apollo
06-05 Dublin, Ireland – Forbidden Fruit Festival
06-06 Leeds, England – Cockpit
06-07 Glasgow, Scotland – The Arches
06-10 Dortmund, Germany – FZW
06-11 Munich, Germany – Feierwerk
07-02 London, England – Hyde Park (Wireless Festival)
12-10 Minehead, England – Nightmare Before Christmas ATP