On first listen, Mirrored is befuddling. A supergroup of veterans from hardcore punk and left–field rock, Battles have devised a sound that merges metal at its most clinical and chromium–shiny with the sort of frantic, fluttery, orchestral–soundtrack music Michael Nyman composes. Seemingly plotted on graph paper, the twisting riffs, inverted drum patterns and origami–intricate structures can seem overly flashy — like maybe these guys spent too long poring over musicians’ technical mags. But the outfit dispels any virtuoso vibe with their joyous absurdism. The album begins with Seven Dwarfs “off to work we go”–style whistling; and the standout tune, “Atlas,” is one of several featuring gloriously daft munchkin vocals, as if singer Tyondai Braxton’s been toking on a bag of helium. Bemusement turns to amusement; then comes the sneaking suspicion that Mirrored might just be a work of deranged genius.

Download: “Atlas,” “Leyendecker,” “Bad Trails”