Los Angeles trio Chicano Batman are singularly centered on creating music that evokes temper fairly than a particular style. On their self-titled 2010 debut they paired doo-wop grooves with Spanish vocals to create a wistful reimagining of Latino soul, whereas 2017’s Freedom Is Free leant into social consciousness lyrics and psychedelia, and 2020’s Invisible Individuals riffed on sultry synth-funk. Their fifth album is often adventurous, channelling reverb-laden electrical guitars, euphoric swells of melody and infectious vocal hooks to supply a number of the group’s most freewheeling music so far.
Throughout 12 songs, Pocket book Fantasy veers from the chillwave synths of the title observe to the luxurious string orchestrations of Spanish-language ballad Period Primavera, the horn fanfares of The Manner You Say It and spotlight Lei Lá’s squelchy psychedelic funk. All through, the rhythm part is locked in, a propulsive basis, whereas vocalist Eduardo Arenas’s keening falsetto brings residence the group’s singalong melodies. There may be the odd misfire, such because the clumsy Strokes pastiche Shedding My Thoughts, however largely the album manages to effortlessly embrace its wide-ranging songwriting within the service of 1 musical temper: pleasure.
