Chicano Batman

Los Angeles outfit Chicano Batman draws on Tropicália, West Coast psychedelia, late-'60s and early-'70s soul, and additional strands to shape its buoyant alternative Latin blend. The ensemble pairs danceable rhythms with reflective lyrics that touch on intimate and sociopolitical subjects. Freedom Is Free, issued in 2017, balanced the collective's playful and earnest impulses, whereas Invisible People in 2020 displayed heightened compositional refinement and Notebook Fantasy in 2024 introduced a vintage-electronic luster.

Eduardo Arenas on bass and vocals, Bardo Martinez handling lead vocals, organ, and guitar, and Gabriel Villa on drums and percussion launched Chicano Batman in 2008; the following year they issued their self-released, self-titled debut. Once Carlos Arévalo joined on guitar, the quartet delivered the four-track Joven Navegante EP in 2012. Their second album, Cycles of Existential Rhyme, appeared on the independent El Relleno Records imprint in 2014, after which extensive touring in 2015—including support slots for Alabama Shakes and Jack White plus a Coachella appearance—substantially broadened their audience. The group signed with ATO in 2016 and released Freedom Is Free, their third full-length, early the next year; the label also reissued the self-titled debut in 2018 along with a combined edition of Joven Navegante and Cycles of Existential Rhyme.

In 2019 Chicano Batman collaborated with Caloncho on the single "Háblame/Córazon de Roca" and issued the Black Lipstick EP. Invisible People arrived in 2020, showcasing more intricate arrangements and a sharpened application of studio resources. For Notebook Fantasy, released in 2024, the band enlisted producer John Congleton—previously at the helm for St. Vincent and Erykah Badu—resulting in a sleeker aesthetic and heavier reliance on classic keyboards and drum machines, the latter especially notable since Gabriel Villa had already departed the lineup by the time recording began.