Daiana Feuer on April 29th, 2016

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Ruffled-tuxedo shirt-wearing Latin-psych-soul-jam band Chicano Batman has a new 7-inch coming out May 6. They’ve just simultaneously released the B-side, “Please Don’t Leave Me” and an animated video for the A-side, “Black Lipstick.” Originally, the songs were going to be produced by Ikey Owens (Jack White, Mars Volta). After his untimely passing, the tracks were instead recorded and produced by Owens’ studio partner Antoine Arvizu at The Compound Studio in Signal Hill. It’s tough to decide which song shines brighter, because both are surreal in their own special way. “Black Lipstick” burns slow with a sticky organ that clings like warm glue. The melodic chorus is soulful and catchy as anything. Then we flip to “Please Don’t Leave Me,” which opens mellow but then takes a turn for the prog. It’s a delightful, quick spoonful of rock underpinned by drums and percussion packing a two-minute punch.

|||Stream: “Please Don’t Leave Me”

||| Also: Watch the video for title track “Black Lipstick.” Director Bernabé Bolaños choppedup footage of the band into 2,000 individual frames, then printed them out in black and white, hand-colored, cut, and scanned each single one and animated the whole thing.