The Midweekly is our column from Mike Jeffers; lead singer of Chicago punk stalwarts SCRAM, music junkie and all around righteous dude.
This is cruising, windows down, breeze through your hair music. Headed to a sunny spot with a beautiful person music. Chicano Batman, out of LA, give us a set of tunes on their latest release, Invisible People, that bounce and strut across a dance floor. Funk rock with a touch of that psychedelic. The songwriting stays in the happy zone, for the most part, keeping the lyrics simply about joy and love. But they do take a few serious turns, like the title track and its lamentations on being part of a marginalized people. Or a harrowing story about an uncle who became a refugee after getting on the wrong side of the cartel. The whole record has a slick but scratched vintage texture from producer Leon Michels (Big Crown Records, Sharon Jones, Black Keys). The closing track is about the death of a loved one, which I think puts the whole album into perspective. Find that breeze, that sunny spot, squeeze your beautiful companion tight, and hold on to that lovely moment.