'Ice Cream' is the first single from the long-awaited new Battles LP 'Gloss Drop', and notably the first snippet we've heard of the band since vocalist/frontman Tyondai Braxton unexpectedly departed. There were many (myself included) who assumed there would be a gaping chasm left by Braxton's absence, but 'Ice Cream' finds the band newly invigorated and with the same mischievous math-funk that grabbed all those Brownie points for their debut album 'Mirrored'. The inclusion of Kompakt vocal-manipulator-cum-genius Mattias Aguayo is an interesting one, not least as he is basically filling in for Braxton's gibbering vocal tics, but he manages to make it his own, giving an air of focus and pop escapism on top of the humour. The real treat here for fans of the band though is soft-focus B-side 'Black Sundome', which almost sounds like a Battles-style take on Gamelan music, complete with electronic flourishes straight out of the Radiophonic Workshop handbook. This three-minute gem is even better than the single itself, and shows just what a creative force Battles can be.
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