Next week on March 29th, alternative veterans Chicano Batman will release their highly anticipated fifth album, Fantasy notebook. It will be the band's first release since 2020, while the supporting tour will see the trio of Bardo Martinez, Eduardo Arenas and Carlos Arévalo headline a historic Los Angeles venue for the first time: The Forum.
“It means everything, it's kind of a graduation,” Arenas tells Billboard News. “It's a celebration of the city because LA built this complex. Our fans built this. We couldn't have gotten to this level without it [them].”
Arenas believes that the recording process for Notebook it also forced the band to aim higher as they worked out of the iconic Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood. “The walls have something to say to you,” he says. “You level up. Like, if [The Doors]Jim Morrison did it that there, what am I going to do today?'
“I feel like every time we make a record we try to do something different, and that's certainly true of all the songs on this record,” adds Arévalo.
Martinez agrees, saying he's a big fan of David Bowie for the way he “personifies different things.” He compares the image to a painter, saying: “I think that's what makes great artists, is that they're not afraid to be different and challenge the rules [by] they're just being their authentic selves.”
In addition to the band's upcoming album, Chicano Batman will also appear on the Talking Heads covers compilation album. Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense. While they still can't reveal which song they covered, they share that they had just four days to rehearse, record and deliver it. But for Arenas, it was worth it:Stop making sensefor me, it was life changing.”
For a band formed 15 years ago, the trio is tighter than ever — both sonically and through their enduring friendship. When asked if it feels like that long, they respond with a resounding “yes” before Arévalo doubles down. “Yes and no,” he says. “Honestly, it looks like a blink, but we've put in the work.”
Watch Chicano Batman's full Billboard News interview above.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/chicano-batman-new-album-notebook-fantasy-headlining-the-forum-interview-1235639604/