Video: Chicano Batman, ‘Dark Star’

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Chicano Batman (Photo by Veronica Lechuga)

“Venom runs deep / It’s what we all keep,” Chicano Batman declare on their groovy-but-gritty new single “Dark Star,” one of two songs they released today.

The tunes, produced by Grammy-nominated John Hill (Portugal. The Man, Santigold, M.I.A.), represent their first new music since their 2020 album “Invisible People.” “Dark Star,” coming on a 7-inch with “Pastel Sunrise,” might be the bleakest tune the L.A. quartet has ever done, though they’ve never shied away from writing about important issues.

Frontman Bardo Martinez explains that the song came together organically, with all four members and Hill adding parts in the producer’s studio. “The hardness of the track lent itself to a more ominous meaning,” he says. “The lyrics are multidimensional — in America there are so many layers of trauma that we all have to deal with that seep into our everyday behavior and attitudes towards each other. Genocide and slavery is embedded within the DNA of American culture, and the social strife gripping America today exemplifies this. ‘Dark Star’ is about an honest feeling that seeks to break the status quo, tear down the physical and mental walls that hold us back from simply being ourselves.”

The song arrives with a video directed by Anders Ericsson. “I suggested Anders Ericsson to direct the ‘Dark Star’ music video after enjoying his surreal direction for a Deerhoof music video,” guitarist/keyboardist Carlos Arévalo says. “I liked the perceived subjective nature of his work and how the visuals could stand on their own without the music if it was taken away. His playful and beautifully strange style immediately compelled me to look him up on social media because I was convinced he should direct our next video. Thankfully, he was game, and the results are a piece in which he summarizes as: ‘Everybody feels lonely, squished by the world. Always compromised by big forces above us. How/Where to connect with others? When to leave your silo?’”

||| Watch: The video for “Dark Star”

||| Also: Stream “Pastel Sunrise”

||| Previously: 2020 Albums of the Year, “Color My Life,” Live at the Fonda Theatre, “Freedom Is Free,” “Friendship (Is a Small Boat in a Storm)”