Battlemode reboot their game of love with the ‘Just Pretend’ music video
Boston chiptune electronic-pop trio leave the past behind and embrace the uncertainty of relationships with new visual out Tuesday, January 28
Performing live at March’s Boston Bitdown and Boston Calling Music Festival in May
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Catch Battlemode live at February’s Sexfest and ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World’ party
NOW PLAYING: Watch ‘Just Pretend’ on YouTube
Photo Credit: McNazz
BOSTON, Mass. [January 28, 2025] – Every January brings not only a new year, but the mentality of a new start and the welcomed ability to put old drama in the rearview. For Battlemode and the chiptune electronic-pop trio’s colorful new music video for “Just Pretend,” out Tuesday, January 28 after the magnetic track hit the streams in the fall, the idea of starting over – and leaving the past behind – rings clear across a cool wave of Game Boy bleeps and bloops.
Where prior single “Playlist” – declared an undisputed “Song of the Summer” by Boston media – was a broken-hearted breakup song and the digital impressions we leave behind, the pulsating 8-bit sophistication of “Just Pretend” suggests a new level of life and love awaits just around the corner for Astrologic (Astro), Bifflecup (Biff), and Sam Mulligan. It’s a restart of the game of love, just when everyone around them is feeling reborn.
“‘Just Pretend’ is about two people starting a possible new relationship, but still having reservations because of past love trauma,” says Astro. “They ultimately decide to ‘Just Pretend’ that stuff doesn’t matter and to live for the moment. The theme and lyrics were inspired by a relationship I was in where we both were scarred by the past, but we wanted to pretend we were normal people, and could have a fresh start.”
As it turns out, January has been less about a fresh start for Battlemode, and more a continuation of last year’s successes. After being nominated for Electronic Artist of the Year at the 2024 Boston Music Awards, the band earned a slot performing live at Boston Calling Music Festival in May, joining the bill alongside Dave Matthews Band, Luke Combs, and Fall Out Boy.
Between now and Memorial Day weekend, the Battlemode live calendar is healthy, as the band plays Sexfest at The Jungle in Somerville over Valentine’s Day weekend, and performs live before a February 21 screening of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World at Arlington’s Capitol Theatre with Linnea’s Garden, DJ Wubson, visual artist V.Kash, and a pop-up arcade from Super Party Bros.
In March, they take part in their own Boston Bitdown, a three-day chiptune and digital fusion music festival collaboration with geekbeatradio that takes over five venues in Somerville and Arlington and features more than 40 performances and visual art displays.
For now, the “Just Pretend” music video takes the Battlemode talents to YouTube. Directed by McNazz and filmed by Sam Nazartian and Kyle McGandy at The Capitol Theatre and depicting the band as clowns and magicians, the vibrant visual showcases the faces behind the bleeps and the bloops, all while the song itself answers a simple question: What if Charlie Puth wrote a chiptune pop song complete with hip-hop verses? Perhaps he would have, had he stuck around the city after graduating from Berklee and partied a little bit more with the band and their raucous live shows.
“Musically, the center of gravity on ‘Just Pretend’ is the chiptune solo section,” says Biff. “The idea was to present a digital pop song that doesn’t initially reek of chiptune. The solo acts like a hair-metal guitar solo – slightly virtuosic, dramatic, and shows-off what a Game Boy can really do.”
The evolution in Battlemode’s sound is playing out across the screen with every sequel and ache derived from the group’s electronic violin, drum pads, guitars, and a pair of non-traditional instruments – a trusted Game Boy music sequencer Little Sound Dj and Dirtywave portable tracker sequencer and synthesizer M8.
The instrumentation and the mad scientist songwriting of the trio, which showcases its direction from last year’s instrumental epic “MEGA” to the aforementioned smooth jam “Playlist” to the calm and collected headsmart urgency of “Just Pretend,” is only just now starting to crystallize.
“Battlemode has already had a few musical chapters, and hopefully has many more to come,” says Biff. “We want to see how chiptune can be involved in every style of music, but right now, we’re hyper focused on pop. Altering a timbre of music (normally associated with Super Mario Bros., and retro video game systems) into something sleek, tight, and popular is a challenge. ‘Just Pretend’ is a strong step forward towards that goal.”
It also redefines perceptions of chiptune and aligns stylistically with Boston’s known champions of synth-fueled music, like Passion Pit and Freezepop (themselves performing at Boston Bitdown). Positioning “Just Pretend” just as autumn hits is more than a lyrical alignment; it’s embedded in the calendar.
“With our current slate of singles, we’re thinking about our songs as seasons,” admits Biff. “Though ‘Playlist’ has a hot summer sax vibe to it, ‘Just Pretend’ has a bit more autumn chill and crisp to it. There’s still tons of life, and warmth to it – but you can start to see your breath with this track. The thematic material is colder.”
Making it perfect for a January drop. Especially as the snow falls and the temperatures hover below freezing.
“I think all of our songs come from a place of discomfort,” Biff concludes. “Though we love comfortable songs, I’m not sure Battlemode would ever be able to write one. We want there to be movement, and progression in our songs. When one is comfortable, one sits still – but when one is uncomfortable one ventures out to new spaces.”
Media Contact: Please direct press inquiries to Michael Marotta at michael@knyvet.com,
and reach Battlemode directly at battlemodemusic@gmail.com.
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Battlemode is:
Biff: Vocals, Violin, keyboard, aerophone
Astro: Vocals, Game Boy
Sam: Vocals, guitar
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Battlemode’s upcoming live events, parties, and performances:
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‘Just Pretend’ production credits:
Track written, composed, and performed by Battlemode
Produced by Curt Martin
Track artwork by Sadie Parrotta
Directed by McNazz
Filmed by Sam Nazartian and Kyle McGandy
Video shot at The Capitol Theatre in Arlington, MA
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Battlemode short bio:
Battlemode is the vibrant and irrepressibly energetic work of mismatched but inseparable friends Astro, Biff, and Sam. Together they create dynamic electro-pop that embraces sounds of the past in order to look forward; incorporating the glitchy 8-bit chiptune sounds that accompanied adolescent days spent playing Game Boys, and reinvigorating them amongst contemporary synth.
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Recent media praise for Battlemode:
“Love is a losing game for Boston trio Battlemode, who power down an old romance on their newest single [‘Playlist’]. With every loop of an ex’s playlist, the electro-pop group treads a rut of abandoned love, tweaking the sound of defeat into an aching chiptune lament.” _The Boston Globe
“‘Playlist’ is a tune about broken relationships, you can actually dance, swirl, and sway to. It’s poppy, zippy and features a surprising rap moment, somewhere in the middle, that gives the song a cool twist. Dancefloor knockout.” _Turn Up The Volume
“Battlemode’s new single to launch this new era is ‘Playlist’. The band describe it as Yacht Rock swagger meets synth-pop seduction. I am instantly reminded of Royksopp in their ‘Junior’ and ‘Senior’ phases. It’s got groove, vocoder, catchy melodies and even some sax. The song is about reminiscing over a lost love through the music that remains after they’ve gone. This is why couple playlists should never replace personal ones!” _Higher Plain Music
“This track sounds like Ibiza in August. And Sheffield in 1980. And a classic Casey Kasem countdown jam. And the Pill at Great Scott, yacht rock, pop hip hop, NKOTB, Super Mario Brothers, and the St. Elmo’s Fire soundtrack. And it sounds like these all at once. But that’s not what’s so impressive about ‘Playlist’. Somehow this local trio crammed all this into a power packed Top 40 groove that’s actually effortlessly fun.” _The Boston Herald’s Song of the Summer roundup
“No pun intended, this slick single could sneak its way onto the playlists of people who, for better or worse, don’t own Yoshi-themed underpants. It’s a new dawn and a new day. That little green dino’s gonna get along just fine.” _Hump Day News
“The summer time is the perfect time to discover a group like Battlemode because, with a smoking hot song like ‘Playlist’ we have a feeling [they’re] going to be the talk of the town.” _The Whole Kameese
“This synth-laden banger [‘Playlist’] is officially out with an upbeat structure counteracting the heartbroken lyrics. For those not familiar with the chiptune genre, it’s a type of electronic music that features the use of a Game Boy as an instrument. As Battlemode, Astro Logique handles that role while Sam Mulligan shreds on guitar and Biff LeCup plays the violin, keyboard and aerophone. The band’s collective vocal delivery embraces harmony in excellent fashion with each member either alternating or uniting in that aspect.” _Culture Beat
“...the Boston trio have something that works on their chiptune single. Maybe it’s just that the song is saturated with 90's nostalgia, and even music I hated from TRL is now kind of fun. It could also just be the killer synths that propel the track to unexpected heights. Or, it could simply be that at this point in our lives, we could all just use some fun... especially when it involves music that combines 90's pop, hip hop, and video game sounds. Oh, and saxophone.” _If It’s Too Loud
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Press Contact: Michael O’Connor Marotta at michael@knyvet.com
Band Contact: Biff at battlemodemusic@gmail.com
HOMEPAGE . SPOTIFY . BANDCAMP . INSTAGRAM . FACEBOOK . X . TIKTOK . YOUTUBE . LINKTREE . PATREON
