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Chicano Batman: Notebook Fantasy review – a freewheeling ode to joy
Swerving genre for mood, the LA band glide by on an irresistible swell of chillwave synth and psychedelic funk
On their self-titled 2010 debut they paired doo-wop grooves with Spanish vocals to create a wistful reimagining of Latino soul, while 2017’s Freedom Is Free leant into social consciousness lyrics and psychedelia, and 2020’s Invisible People riffed on sultry synth-funk. Their fifth album is typically adventurous, channelling reverb-laden electric guitars, euphoric swells of melody and infectious vocal hooks to produce some of the group’s most freewheeling music to date. Across 12 songs, Notebook Fantasy veers from the chillwave synths of the title track to the sumptuous string orchestrations of Spanish-language ballad Era Primavera, the horn fanfares of The Way You Say It and highlight Lei Lá’s squelchy psychedelic funk.
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