Battlemode enhance their chiptune empire with the unhinged ‘NVR KNO’
Boston electronic music collective expand in members and sonic ambition with frenetic new hyper-pop single out now!
Appearing at Moon Over Salem festival on Sept. 13
Listen to May single ‘Game Over’
From Boston Bitdown to Boston Calling, 2025 has been the Year of Battlemode
BOSTON, Mass. [September 11, 2025] – After a band throws down the first – and only – Game Boy solo ever performed live on stage at Boston Calling Music Festival, what is there left to conquer? For Battlemode, the answer is simply whatever comes next.
And what’s coming up for the Boston chiptune collective is pretty much everything. To provide a proper soundtrack, Battlemode bleep/bloop into the autumn season with a lively and unhinged new hyper-pop bop called “NVR KNO,” set for streaming release on Thursday, September 11.
This euphoric tune, a kaleidoscopic cautionary tale about dating in the 2020s, arrives with a rainbow comet tail alongside a live show and dance party slate that is more aggressive than Donkey Kong on a timeline tighter than Level 29 in Tetris.
It’s no wonder the panoramic 8-bit electronic-pop project of Biff, Astro, and Sam Mulligan enlisted two new members to the Battlemode posse, bringing sweet boys Leo (guitar/bass) and Isaiah (drums) into the mix to flesh out the sound and enhance the overall sonic attack.
“There’s still so much left to do,” says Astro. “We feel like Boston Calling was just a stepping stone onto our future purpose. We still have an entire genre to define. We’re definitely getting a Grammy someday but for now we plan to write our best music yet, stay in Boston, and flood the city with amazing chiptune.”
The plan holds up. The “NVR KNO” drop is quickly followed by Hack The Planet, a 30th anniversary audio/visual orgasm co-hosted with Double Feature on Friday, September 12 that brings ‘90s cult classic techno-drama Hackers back to the Somerville Theatre, where Battlemode will perform live ahead of the film.
After last year’s sold-out party, this year’s Hackers screening brings stars Laurence Mason (Lord Nikon) and Renoly Santiago (Phantom Phreak) to an all-evening rager that includes digital, binary code projections all over the 115-year-old theatre by Mike Videopunk; live remixes of the film presented by Double Feature (Wubson x Danny Aye), and an afterparty for the true believers of what the band calls “Hot Hacker Autumn.”
From there, Battlemode appear at the 2025 Moon Over Salem festival at Bit Bar in downtown Salem on Saturday, September 13, prepare their own Astro Fest for late September (details on that very soon!), and are busy playing a full serving of parties in New York City and all over New England -- all while collaborating with other local artists and working tirelessly to get Willie Burmley Jr,. elected as the next mayor of their home base of Somerville.
This all happens while the Battle-bois are carefully growing the Boston chiptune community, planning potential live dates in Japan come 2026, and organizing the sophomore edition of their own Boston Bitdown, which pressed play earlier this year as instantly one of the largest chiptune festivals in the world, bringing more than 50 artists to the Boston area across five venues in three days. There’s a lot going on!
“We have a lot of cool music projects coming up, and some cool announcements,” Astro says with a wink and a nudge. “The sky is the limit for us.”
But first, the electro-pop game restarts with “NVR KNO,” a frenetic return to the stream scene that’s Battlemode’s first new dose of beats n’ treats since the spring’s basement rave seducer “Game Over.” Coming off like a chiptune version of 100 gecs or a video-game-centric Magdalena Bay, “NVR KNO” reflects a bit of a new creative era for Battlemode, taking the yacht-pop synth chill of last year’s “Playlist” and “Just Pretend” and turning the intensity and unpredictability up to 11.
Written by Battlemode, co-produced by Tony Hamoui, mixed by Astro, and recorded at Stank Factory Recordings, “NVR KNO” takes a deranged and manic look at dating, Gen Z- and millennial-style, and sun-splashes a vibrant cascade of animated beats, autotune vocals, and Battlemode’s traditionally earnest embrace of self-deprecation.
“It's about not knowing how to approach dating,” Biff says with a nervous laugh. “I think I actively run away from dating. When I see someone I like, I just ignore them and pretend they don’t exist. If we’re at a party and you see me standing in the corner, not even looking at you, not even breathing the same air as you, I probably think you’re really hot. Is it better to just not even try than to completely bungle any romantic interest?”
The seeds for “NVR KNO” were first planted the night Battlemode came home from the Boston Music Awards last winter, when the project was nominated for Dance/Electronic Artist of the Year. Around that time, Astro finally officially asked out his now-girlfriend, and the song’s roots quickly began to grow.
“For me it's about being attracted to someone that doesn't really care as much as you do or is perceived to not care as much as you do, but you still don’t care; you’re just, like, still into them because they’re dangerous and cool,” he says. “I started a demo of this song on the Game Boy then Biff turned it into more of a hyper-pop thing.”
Astro adds: “We are leaning hard into autotune voices now, which we feel complement our sound and continue our overall view on music. We’re not the best players or the best singers, but we can manipulate technology to do whatever we want because we are retro midi Game Boy music wizards.”
There’s a consistent DNA that flows through “Game Over” and into “NVR KNO,” and it showcases an unapologetic and unafraid band of collaborators discovering a new groove in their sound, taking the chiptune zaniness and intensity of early tracks like “Moon” and “BFF” and the casual chill of the aforementioned “Playlist” and “Just Pretend” and creating a hyper-unique sound that is purely Battlemode.
“‘NVR KNO’ marks a new era in our musical journey,” Astro adds. “We feel like we finally found a sound we could be anchored on. ‘Game Over’ was kind of like the beginning of our new signature sound, but it wasn’t quite fully formed. With ‘NVR KNO’, we want to go into a deeper feeling – even though it’s not that deep at all [laughs]. We are going to go a little bit deeper with the upcoming stuff so you never know where that will take us.”
Though Astro knows one potential destination: “We kind of wanna write a tragic love story hyper-pop album,” he admits.
As that comes together, Battlemode have plenty to stay busy. The additions of Leo and Isaiah, known for their work in homegrown bands like The Love Shamans, The Girl, and others, will augment the live Battlemode experience. “Three weeks ago, I had no idea we were adding two members to our group,” Biff admits. “If the growth continues at this rate, next year we’ll have as many members as The Baha Men.”
The new lineup should sound great at all the upcoming Battlemode gigs, including the fast-approaching Hack The Planet party and the Moon Over Salem festival gig. In fact, it’s the Hack The Planet party that’s become a signature event for the band, teaming up with Double Feature to bring an audio/visual nightclub experience to film viewing. And the Hackers soundtrack and score is the perfect opportunity to take a film experience to the next level through the creative lens of Battlemode.
“Oh bb – it’s about to be a ‘Hot Hacker Autumn’,” says Biff. “I don’t like to get stuck in repeat programming, but I have a feeling Hackers is going to be a lifelong project. Last year, we sold out the Somerville Theatre, and at the time, it was the biggest thing we had ever done in our chiptune careers. After a great night of success, we got asked to show Hackers again for the 30th anniversary. How could we not? We gotta give the people what they want.”
That means bringing in Mason’s Lord Nikon character, and Renoly Santiago’s Phantom Phreak, with the affable and approachable Santiago DJing the official afterparty.
“This will be the final year of this particular experience,” warns Biff, “but there’s a plan to evolve our Hackers experience in the later years…”
Evolution is at the core of the Battlemode ethos as they enter a new music era with a wild new panoramic sound, a significant slate of festival and club gigs, and the aim and intent to bring chiptune to the wider masses. “NVR KNO” is the next chapter.
“The weight of performing Boston Calling is still heavy on me,” Biff adds. “Post festival, we’re still trying to live up to the opportunity given to us. It would just be disrespectful to our base, to the other bands vying for that slot, and to the Orange Stage organizers to put in anything less than triple the work than before.”
Biff understands the challenges ahead. But like the rest of Battlemode, there is no fear – not in the music, not on the stage, not anywhere or with anything.
“We’re building on some of our previous programming (i.e. Hack The Planet, Boston Bitdown), but we’re also working on some SECRET plans,” he concludes. “We’ve got some cool announcements coming up to close out 2025.”
Stay tuned, and stay plugged-in…
Battlemode is:
Biff: Vocals, Violin, keyboard, aerophone
Astro: Vocals, Game Boy
Sam Mulligan: Vocals, guitar
Leo: Guitar, bass
Isaiah: Drums
‘NVR KNO’ production credits:
Track written, composed, and performed by Battlemode
Co-produced by Tony Hamoui
Mixed by Astro
Recorded at Stank Factory Recordings
Art by Narvicto DeJesus
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.
‘NVR KNO’ single artwork:
Recent media praise for Battlemode:
“The type of glitchy, 8-bit music Astro [of Battlemode] creates is quintessential chiptune.” _WBUR
“[‘Game Over’] destined to be the earworm of the Summer, if not all of 2025” _Rock And Roll Fables
“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
“Battlemode is known for its dynamic electro-pop that relies on nostalgic sounds such as glitchy 8-bit chiptune and contemporary synth. The band creates these sounds by using instruments such as aerophones, guitars and keyboards. …The band’s sound is mostly rooted in 2000’s Euro-pop with direct influences being Vengaboys, DJ Sammy and Anamanaguchi…” _MassLive
“Boston chiptune artists Battlemode opened up the Orange Stage [at Boston Calling], and did so quite admirably. Their set was decorated with homemade cardboard standups in an 8-bit style, and included a pair of rats because we’re still in Allston, after all. …Battlemode owned that stage for their set and truly got the party started. They’re one of those bands that is a completely different live experience from their recorded music. Boston Calling was my third time seeing them, and I’m looking forward to the fourth.” _If It’s Too Loud
“When was the last time you heard a really cool chiptune band? If it has been a while, Boston’s Battlemode wants to be the latest to fill the void. But this particular song is more like what happens when the emo trap is run through a video game filter. Still, their difference is that you are offered the ability to dance off the ennui. ‘Game Over’ is a kiss-off track that addresses love that is more manipulative than anything. Ascending lead synths behind sparkling pads, mechanical vocals, and lyrics that approach such coldness with the energy of a doctor with a scalpel, all adding to the track’s equivalent to a tired sigh.” _Start Track
“Everyone’s favorite local chiptuners Battlemode opened the Orange Stage [at Boston Calling] with a flourish. Flourish after flourish – a digital sea of flourishes. What good is squeezing pop music out of the decaying code of Game Boys if you can’t do it with a flourish? The electronic trio set the scene with a stage full of pixelated art cutouts of props from your favorite video games. A star from Mario, a key from Zelda, a pink doughnut from every single Simpsons game. …Durrrty techno bangers whistled in the wind as band member Biff (or is it Astro?) leaped offstage and traded high fives with the chiptune hordes up front. The first artist-to-fan contact I’ve seen at the fest.” _Cambridge Day
“‘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
“It’s easy to get hung up trying to describe Battlemode’s sound, but that’s hardly the point. Battlemode’s songs are sure to appeal to anyone who likes music, especially if you enjoy pop, electronic, or any related style, but not necessarily just that group of music fans. The songs are well-written, engaging, and hooky, suggesting the potential for massive crossover appeal, too.” _Geoff Wilbur’s Music Blog
“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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