I think this is the prettiest song in Beulah's discography. I always thought Miles Kurosky wrote this song, but it was written by Pat Noel, who played keyboards in the band and also wrote the song “Burned by the Sun.” “Battle Cry of the West” really distills their whole aesthetic into one nice package: some tight harmonies, chiming guitar notes on the chorus, prominent horns, and a melody that's mostly cheerful, but also cut with a minor undertone of sadness. Good illustration of this in the lyrics: “All roads lead to the coast/but the coast is never clear.” And then you get a whole three minutes of gorgeous outro.