The Bats Announce New Album Corner Coming Up Plus New Single/Video'Lucky Day'
The new album strikes a very distinctive and familiar chord that exists in the fuzzy-loving hearts of fans all round the world. Throughout their 40 plus years of existence, and now with 'Corner Coming Up' ready to share with the world, The Bats have stayed true to their roots, creating timeless music that continues to resonate with fans old and new.
'Corner Coming Up' was recorded at Chicks Studio in Port Chalmers by Flying Nun legend, Tex Houston, and is out digitally, and on peach or black vinyl LP and CD on 17th October 2025 via Flying Nun Records.
The Bats are Robert Scott, Kaye Woodward, Paul Kean and Malcolm Grant. Since their inception in Christchurch in 1982, The Bats' music has earned a devoted following around the world, and they remain one of New Zealand's most cherished and enduring exports. The band has a phenomenal ability to create melodies that linger long after the record has stopped spinning.
Today the band have also shared their brand new video single 'Lucky Day'. Shot out of a suitcase by Marc Swadel, Julian Reid and Kermath, while on work trips, the accompanying lo-fi psychedelic video was shot in Florence, London, Tokyo, Doha, Taipei, Liverpool, Zagreb, Manchester and Hong Kong with the band filming themselves in Christchurch. This is the fourth Bats video by director Marc Swadel (who has previously worked with Crowded House, Thurston Moore, The Datsuns, Jonathan Bree, Sparks, Liam Finn, Duran Duran, Head Like a Hole and The Chemical Brothers)
"When I heard the name of the song, I thought - lucky cat! The Japanese name for this creature is Maneki-Neko - and in their folklore the Bat is a sign of good luck - the Bakeneko - so it felt like a random but fun idea, to take a cat along on work and shoot as we go." - Marc Swadel
The Bats formed in Christchurch in 1982. The quartet — Robert Scott, Kaye Woodward, Paul Kean and Malcolm Grant — has held the same lineup for over four decades, perhaps making them the longeststanding unchanged band in Aotearoa history. They first emerged on the Flying Nun label in the early '80s, blending jangly guitars and rich melodies that would come to influence alternative rock in New Zealand and around the world.
Their debut album, Daddy's Highway (1987), remains a masterpiece of the genre, paving the way for subsequent albums like The Law of Things (1990), Fear of God (1991), Silverbeet (1993) and Couchmaster (1995). After a decade-long break starting in 1995, they returned with the acclaimed At the National Grid (2005), infusing fresh energy without losing their trademark sound. Since then, they've released The Guilty Office (2008), Free All the Monsters (2011), The Deep Set (2017), and Foothills (2020), each offering new facets of their signature jangle-pop while preserving their melodic core. Critics and fans alike praise their consistency, but the band insists their sound has naturally evolved—even as it remains uniquely recognisable .
In April 2025, after a fiveyear wait since 2020's Foothills, The Bats unveiled a new single 'Loline'. The single was accompanied by a warmly nostalgic video of the band cycling through Ōtautahi lovingly mixed in with live performance footage from the last couple of years. 'Loline' hinted at the first taste of their forthcoming album, serving up the signature high quality songwriting that fans have adored for over 40 years. 'Loline' blends bright-eyed romanticism, fuzzy guitar textures, soaring harmonies, and a sense of nostalgia.
Still playing live and recording, The Bats remain a testament to loyal craftsmanship, melodic depth, and enduring friendship—their newest work a glowing chapter in an already remarkable story.
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