Kinky

Times are tough–and Kinky is fighting back. The Mexican electro-poppers are back with Barracuda; it's neither a Heart covers record nor a Sarah Palin tribute—it's simply escapist music meant to make you dance. Kinky have found considerable success since making their debut in 2002; they've appeared on commercials, TV and even wrote the theme song for the L.A. Galaxy pro soccer team.

Barracuda finds the quintet continuing to evolve with their sound, taking influence from disco and from the Euro-pop that lit up dance floors in the '90s and blending it with classic Latin pop sensibilities—along with some American indie influence perhaps picked up during their time on tour with the likes of The Flaming Lips and Cake. The hedonistic spirit of Barracuda is hinted at even by the font the band uses on their cover, which makes it look like the album should come with a Miami Vice episode or an Espirit shirt from the Eighties.

The party starts promisingly with "Hasta Quemarnos." Kinky suffers somewhat when they get too immersed in nightclub synth-pop; "Hasta Quemarnos" snaps forward with funk and soul, still allowing the electronic elements to play out underneath. The pulsing "Papel Volando" is more indicative of how Barracuda plays out–very polished and energetic, but not exactly progressive. There are shades of rock, too, but despite their naughty-sounding band name, they play it safe, recalling the hyper-accessible sounds of classic rock descendents like Living Things and Caesars.

Kinky go English on a few tracks, including low spots "Those Girls" (with its clunky hip-hop verses) and the aggressive dance jam "Masacre Sonica" and its grating refrains. The instrumental postscript to the latter–titled "The Day I Lost The Beat"–is considerably more effective. But despite a few missteps, Barracuda never sinks into a rut. "Diablo Azul" is a chilled-out bit of electro-folk that sounds like something Beck might enjoy, while "Tachimaripedoncocongo" (try saying that five times fast) shows some of the angular guitar edge of the last wave of NYC rockers. "Marcha Atras" is a buzzing, peak-hour electro anthem, while closer "Mis Pasos Tus Huellas" smoothly splices an ambient, synth-guided backbone with a flourish of Latin horns and a supple vocal from singer Gil Cerezo. Little is unforgettable, but Kinky don’t seem particularly concerned with making Barracuda "important"–they just want it to make you feel good.

—Adam McKibbin
03.06.09