Chicano Batman is probably one of the most delightful acts in the country at the moment. Hailing from LA, they’re a psychedelic funk quartet of dapper Latino men whose music synthesizes the sounds of the Americas into a single, seamless whole. Borrowing the songcraft and passion of North America’s brown-eyed soul pioneers like Sly and the Family Stone, they need in threads of chicha and tropicália, cut the final product with ricochets of William Onyeabor-esque Nigerian synth-funk. Their 2017 album Freedom is Free is the pinnacle of their cultivated style and can be considered a modern pop classic by any measure of the term.* Their latest effort Invisible People serves to update their mojo with krautrock culled from the grooves of Can and Neu! as well as integrating modern hip-hop elements into their production. These efforts succeed in distancing their sound from the Daptone Records feel of their previous releases and ushers them into the orbit of indie acts like Neon Indian. I’m agnostic as to whether or not these changes improved their overall sound, although I will say that the best stuff is a little front-loaded here. Opener “Color my life” slides into view with a funky-fresh blend of Nigerian pop and reggae propelled by a busty break-beat and tinted by mood-enhancing synth lines. “Blank Slate” is a pleading and lovelorn voyage through trippy, snappy guitars and wormhole forming backing synths, destined to dock in the heart of classic Motown soul. “I Know It” is palpably affectionate with lean, bending chords which feel coated with a soft-plushy lining like kitten fur, while the title track is a patient stroller with warm-key accompaniments, dancing chords, and a pliable beat. Later highlights include “Moment of Joy” which feels like a super-smooth and bright slice of space-funk that seems like a cut from Thundercat’s Drunk that somehow ended up on the editing room floor, “Polymetronomic Harmony” with its reverb meshed up-tempo tropicalia-favored taste of indie R’nB, and finally, the highly danceable ‘70s rewind and motorik soul slide, “The Prophet.” At the risk of sound corny, let me just say that Invisible People is out of sight.
Grab a copy via ATO here.
*This may already be the case. I don’t hang out with that many music critics^ so I have no way of knowing.
^This is probably for the best.
