Good news for those of you who would rather listen to music than read about it: I have neither the time nor the brainpower to muster more than a few basic sentences this week. These days I might "hear" music, but finding moments to actually "listen" is proving more and more difficult. Anyway...

Invisible People marks a noticeable evolution for Chicano Batman. The funky old-school R&B vibes still abound, but more polished production and the incorporation of an expanding array of genres brings the Los Angeles quartet's fourth album places even they might not have imagined three years ago. Chicano Batman's updated, more modern sound retains its place as "summertime, chilling in the backyard, having a barbecue" music, but with richer soundscapes. Occasionally that feels like a trade-off in which pushing their boundaries comes at the expense of the songwriting itself. Yet there's plenty on Invisible People to take my ears from "hearing" to "listening."