They came out of L.A., four young men in vintage formalwear, playing songs that blended Brazilian Tropicalía with early '70s psychedelic soul and the romantic pop of bands like Los Ángeles Negros. It was an immediately addictive sonic brew, and their reputation grew fast. Since forming in 2008, Chicano Batman have released two full length albums--a self-titled 2009 debut, and 2014's Cycles Of Existential Rhyme--and two EPs. The band has played Coachella, and toured with Alabama Shakes and Jack White, among others. Now, they're making their boldest statement yet with Freedom Is Free, their third album and ATO Records debut.
Frontman Bardo Martinez met bassist Eduardo Arenas in 2008, and they quickly found common ground in the work of Caetano Veloso and other Tropicalía performers, as well as the kind of vintage soul and pop heard on "the albums our parents have in their closets." They recruited drummer Gabriel Villa and made their first album as a trio; guitarist Carlos Arévalo joined the band in 2011 and they released The Joven Navegante EP the following year.
Chicano Batman's look has done as much to set them apart as their sound or their name. Since the beginning, they've performed in matching suits and ruffled shirts; Bardo explains, "We're making a particular reference that some people understand-- Los Ángeles Negros, Los Pasteles Verdes. In the '70s, it was a big thing where all these cats were playing romantic ballads, but they were funky as hell."
That sharp funk groove shows up throughout Freedom Is Free, but especially on the title song. Bardo's uplifting lyrics, delivered in his uniquely dreamy/romantic style, are bolstered by the backing vocals of New York's all-female Mariachi Flor de Toloache. "It's a counterpoint to the propaganda catch phrase that was invented by the US government during the first Iraq war, 'Freedom isn't free,'" he explains. "It's a counter-narrative..."
~~~~~~~~
The fifth album from Chicano Batman, Notebook Fantasy takes its title from a phenomenon likely familiar to anyone who feels outside the status quo: the act of spending your formative years dreaming up other worlds and realities in the pages of a notebook, exploring those possibilities with a bold and wide-eyed freedom. Throughout the lifespan of the Los Angeles-bred band, vocalist/lyricist Bardo, guitarist Carlos Arévalo, and bassist Eduardo Arenas have followed their own visionary impulses to tremendous heights--a journey that began with taking the stage at local dive bars and recently saw them co-headlining the legendary Hollywood Bowl. In the making of Notebook Fantasy, Chicano Batman doubled down on their hyper-creative tendencies, discovering new dimensions of their prismatic musicality while infusing their lyrics with an unflinching honesty. With its dizzying constellation of song forms and sounds--including everything from arena-ready anthems to piano-driven balladry to psychedelic space odysseys--the result is a body of work that sheds all inhibitions and fully reveals the sublime expanse of their musical imagination.
show less
Frontman Bardo Martinez met bassist Eduardo Arenas in 2008, and they quickly found common ground in the work of Caetano Veloso and other Tropicalía performers, as well as the kind of vintage soul and pop heard on "the albums our parents have in their closets." They recruited drummer Gabriel Villa and made their first album as a trio; guitarist Carlos Arévalo joined the band in 2011 and they released The Joven Navegante EP the following year.
Chicano Batman's look has done as much to set them apart as their sound or their name. Since the beginning, they've performed in matching suits and ruffled shirts; Bardo explains, "We're making a particular reference that some people understand-- Los Ángeles Negros, Los Pasteles Verdes. In the '70s, it was a big thing where all these cats were playing romantic ballads, but they were funky as hell."
That sharp funk groove shows up throughout Freedom Is Free, but especially on the title song. Bardo's uplifting lyrics, delivered in his uniquely dreamy/romantic style, are bolstered by the backing vocals of New York's all-female Mariachi Flor de Toloache. "It's a counterpoint to the propaganda catch phrase that was invented by the US government during the first Iraq war, 'Freedom isn't free,'" he explains. "It's a counter-narrative..."
~~~~~~~~
The fifth album from Chicano Batman, Notebook Fantasy takes its title from a phenomenon likely familiar to anyone who feels outside the status quo: the act of spending your formative years dreaming up other worlds and realities in the pages of a notebook, exploring those possibilities with a bold and wide-eyed freedom. Throughout the lifespan of the Los Angeles-bred band, vocalist/lyricist Bardo, guitarist Carlos Arévalo, and bassist Eduardo Arenas have followed their own visionary impulses to tremendous heights--a journey that began with taking the stage at local dive bars and recently saw them co-headlining the legendary Hollywood Bowl. In the making of Notebook Fantasy, Chicano Batman doubled down on their hyper-creative tendencies, discovering new dimensions of their prismatic musicality while infusing their lyrics with an unflinching honesty. With its dizzying constellation of song forms and sounds--including everything from arena-ready anthems to piano-driven balladry to psychedelic space odysseys--the result is a body of work that sheds all inhibitions and fully reveals the sublime expanse of their musical imagination.
They came out of L.A., four young men in vintage formalwear, playing songs that blended Brazilian Tropicalía with early '70s psychedelic soul and the romantic pop of bands like Los Ángeles Negros. It was an immediately addictive sonic brew, and their reputation grew fast. Since forming in 2008, Chicano Batman have released two full length albums--a self-titled 2009 debut, and 2014's Cycles Of Existential Rhyme--and two EPs. The band has played Coachella, and toured with Alabama Shakes and Jack White, among others. Now, they're making their boldest statement yet with Freedom Is Free, their third album and ATO Records debut.
Frontman Bardo Martinez met bassist Eduardo Arenas in 2008, and they quickly found common ground in the work of Caetano Veloso and other Tropicalía performers, as well as the kind of vintage soul and pop heard on "the albums our parents have in their closets." They recruited drummer Gabriel Villa and made their first album as a trio; guitarist Carlos Arévalo joined the band in 2011 and they released The Joven Navegante EP the following year.
Chicano Batman's look has done as much to set them apart as their sound or their name. Since the beginning, they've performed in matching suits and ruffled shirts; Bardo explains, "We're making a particular reference that some people understand-- Los Ángeles Negros, Los Pasteles Verdes. In the '70s, it was a big thing where all these cats were playing romantic ballads, but they were funky as hell."
That sharp funk groove shows up throughout Freedom Is Free, but especially on the title song. Bardo's uplifting lyrics, delivered in his uniquely dreamy/romantic style, are bolstered by the backing vocals of New York's all-female Mariachi Flor de Toloache. "It's a counterpoint to the propaganda catch phrase that was invented by the US government during the first Iraq war, 'Freedom isn't free,'" he explains. "It's a counter-narrative..."
~~~~~~~~
The fifth album from Chicano Batman, Notebook Fantasy takes its title from a phenomenon likely familiar to anyone who feels outside the status quo: the act of spending your formative years dreaming up other worlds and realities in the pages of a notebook, exploring those possibilities with a bold and wide-eyed freedom. Throughout the lifespan of the Los Angeles-bred band, vocalist/lyricist Bardo, guitarist Carlos Arévalo, and bassist Eduardo Arenas have followed their own visionary impulses to tremendous heights--a journey that began with taking the stage at local dive bars and recently saw them co-headlining the legendary Hollywood Bowl. In the making of Notebook Fantasy, Chicano Batman doubled down on their hyper-creative tendencies, discovering new dimensions of their prismatic musicality while infusing their lyrics with an unflinching honesty. With its dizzying constellation of song forms and sounds--including everything from arena-ready anthems to piano-driven balladry to psychedelic space odysseys--the result is a body of work that sheds all inhibitions and fully reveals the sublime expanse of their musical imagination.
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Frontman Bardo Martinez met bassist Eduardo Arenas in 2008, and they quickly found common ground in the work of Caetano Veloso and other Tropicalía performers, as well as the kind of vintage soul and pop heard on "the albums our parents have in their closets." They recruited drummer Gabriel Villa and made their first album as a trio; guitarist Carlos Arévalo joined the band in 2011 and they released The Joven Navegante EP the following year.
Chicano Batman's look has done as much to set them apart as their sound or their name. Since the beginning, they've performed in matching suits and ruffled shirts; Bardo explains, "We're making a particular reference that some people understand-- Los Ángeles Negros, Los Pasteles Verdes. In the '70s, it was a big thing where all these cats were playing romantic ballads, but they were funky as hell."
That sharp funk groove shows up throughout Freedom Is Free, but especially on the title song. Bardo's uplifting lyrics, delivered in his uniquely dreamy/romantic style, are bolstered by the backing vocals of New York's all-female Mariachi Flor de Toloache. "It's a counterpoint to the propaganda catch phrase that was invented by the US government during the first Iraq war, 'Freedom isn't free,'" he explains. "It's a counter-narrative..."
~~~~~~~~
The fifth album from Chicano Batman, Notebook Fantasy takes its title from a phenomenon likely familiar to anyone who feels outside the status quo: the act of spending your formative years dreaming up other worlds and realities in the pages of a notebook, exploring those possibilities with a bold and wide-eyed freedom. Throughout the lifespan of the Los Angeles-bred band, vocalist/lyricist Bardo, guitarist Carlos Arévalo, and bassist Eduardo Arenas have followed their own visionary impulses to tremendous heights--a journey that began with taking the stage at local dive bars and recently saw them co-headlining the legendary Hollywood Bowl. In the making of Notebook Fantasy, Chicano Batman doubled down on their hyper-creative tendencies, discovering new dimensions of their prismatic musicality while infusing their lyrics with an unflinching honesty. With its dizzying constellation of song forms and sounds--including everything from arena-ready anthems to piano-driven balladry to psychedelic space odysseys--the result is a body of work that sheds all inhibitions and fully reveals the sublime expanse of their musical imagination.
show less
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