Laying claim to quite possibly the best band name ever, West Coast four-piece Chicano Batman is fully equipped with a diverse utility belt full of talent. Going back to their 2010 eponymous debut, they’ve tapped into ’60s and ’70s psychedelia and effortlessly fused it with Latin overtones. Chicano Batman’s laid-back, keyboard-driven, and effects-heavy style has since evolved to incorporate more of a “clean” indie psych-pop production method akin to Tame Impala, heard most recently on 2017’s Freedom Is Free.
Today Chicano Batman’s shared a first glimpse of their upcoming fourth full-length, Invisible People, out on May Day and once again produced by Leon Michels, whose track record includes work with A$AP Rocky, Lee Fields & the Expressions and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. With the additional help of engineer Shawn Everett (Vampire Weekend, Alabama Shakes, Beck, etc.) on the mix, Invisible People maintains all the elements that we’ve loved about Chicano Batman, and goes on to explore touches of hip-hop, krautrock, international synth-funk, R&B, and prog-rock. You’ll be able to experience these dynamically impressive recordings in full on May 1st, but not before self prescribing Invisible People‘s ’80s-inspired lead single, perfect for a pandemic-riddled world trying to relearn the day-to-day life, “Blank Slate”!
–Jack Anderson
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