July, 2017 RollingStoneAus.com | Rolling Stone | 35Chicano
Batman
SOUNDS LIKE: The hippest
prom band ever, exuding classic
soul, cosmic consciousness and
righteous resistance
FOR FANS OF: Os Mutantes, Los
Freddy’s,? and the Mysterians
WHY YOU SHOULD PAY AT-
TENTION: The quartet have
been called Los Angeles’ house
band, and they’ve been selling
out small theatres regularly on
a West Coast run that follows
opening slots on tours with Jack
White and the Claypool LennonDelirium. Their audiences consist
largely of Latinxs vibing ec-
statically to a classic soul sound,
which they deliver in colour-coor-
dinated tuxedos, puff y shirts and
bow ties. While Mexican cumbia
and banda bass lines still fi nd
their way into the mix, the band’s
new single Freedom Is Free is
both their most lucidly soul-
stirring music and a step or two
removed from the prog-rocking
psychedelia informing much of
their fi rst two releases.THEY SAY: What about those
tuxes? “The Temptations, Curtis
Mayfi eld and the Impressions,
Los Freddy’s and all these
bands from Venezuela and Latin
America were rocking them on
the covers of their records in the
Sixties and Seventies, so that’s an
inspiration,” says frontman Bardo
Martinez. “Our bassist, Eduardo
[Arenas], was the one who actu-
ally suggested, ‘Hey, let’s get
suited and booted!’ We’re all aes-
thetically on that boat, but he’sthe one who actually stepped
into the vintage shop – and it
was a stroke of luck that what he
bought fi t everybody in the band.
Off the rack! It’s been 10 years,
and we’ve gone through a few of
them. We try to keep it classic;
we try to keep it polyester.”
HEAR FOR YOURSELF: On the
creamy slice of positive soul
power “Freedom Is Free”, Bardo
croons, “You got your guns up on
display/But you can’t control how
I feel, no way.” RICHARD GEHR