Search through Los Angeles based band Chicano Batman’s discography and you’ll find an intersection of psychedelia, soul and lush soundscapes that evoke the cruisin’ oldies of Art Laboe’s radio show. With their third album,
Freedom is Free, they continue this sonically diverse palette while a crafting a complex statement on maintaining culture and its place within modern day America.
Often songs will contain unexpected transitions where funk-inspired introductions melt into warm, dreamy and soulful textures or tracks diverge from the tranquil to vibrant aberrations. “Run” builds from mellow, sun-drenched soundscape to psychedelic crescendo “Passed You By” moves along with with a watery guitar riff accompanied by an angelic chorus and soulful vocals.
Everywhere on this record feels meticulously crafted in the best way. It feels like Chicano Batman truly do appreciate the musical predecessors they are channeling and have an aching passion for every note they play. Each guitar riff, bassline, grooving drum kick feels expansive, as if you could inhabit it and find a whole world underneath.
Paired with gorgeously layered instrumentation, is the political element to this record.
Freedom is Free is a protest album, although not in the traditional sense. Nowhere on the album does Chicano Batman show any overt malice or aggression. On the contrary, many of the political statements are packaged in funk laced excursions. “The Taker’s Story,” embeds its narrative on cultural oppression inside a rollicking, pop tempo. This is the album’s greatest achievement. Never does the political subject matter detract from the music’s ability to move the body and its allure to keep us returning to that experience. With each repeated listen, Chicano Batman’s protest against police brutality, globalization, and gentrification soon becomes our protest.
On the title track, Martinez sings, “You’ve got your guns up on display / but you can’t control how I feel no way,” a hopeful message proclaiming freedom as a state of mind not bound by external forces. It perfectly captures the millennial zeitgeist: as long as we continue to speak against the social injustices forming in the world, there is an inherent victory waiting for us.
