Kevin Bronson on December 7th, 2016

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Chicano Batman came out of East L.A. with big smiles and vintage formalwear, as if they were the wedding band who wow everybody at the reception with their original songs and become friends for life. Two DIY albums of tropical, psychedelic, drenched-in-’70s soul put them on the map locally, and they rode the vibe to places like Coachella 2015 and, now, a deal with ATO Records, which will release their new album “Freedom Is Free” on March 3.

On the new single, “Friendship (Is a Small Boat In A Storm),” the quartet lays the organ on thick, but its gooey goodness is only skin deep. “This is a song of betrayal in the most mundane sense,” Chicano Batman frontman Bardo Martinez says. “It’s about the trials and tribulations of friendship and also a personal reflection on the painful realities of human relationships.” Featured in the Alan Del Río Ortiz-directed video (and in the song) are singers from Mariachi Flor de Toloache.

The foursome just announced a national tour starting Feb. 23 (no local dates), and the tour ends with Chicano Batman headed west in early April, so a return trip to the desert for Coachella 2017 seems likely.

||| Watch: “Friendship (Is a Small Boat in a Storm)”