The always divisive Austin TV kept thousands of fans up very late last night as they unveiled their highly anticipated new single “El Hombre Pánico.” This is the first promotional cut off the band’s third full-length album titled Caballeros del Albedrio. According to the band, it will be a double album consisting of 16 tracks and, since this is Austin TV we're talking about, probably a luxury package as well. After the groundbreaking critical and commercial success of Fontana Bella (Terricolas Imbeciles, 2007), the masked kids have decided to follow up with a conceptual math rock album, guided once again by Emmanuel del Real’s top-notch production.
At just two minutes long, “El Hombre Pánico” doesn’t reveal much of how the actual album will sound like (nor the quality of it), but it works as an appetizer for their impatient hardcore fans. For those of us not fully invested in the band’s landscapes, “El Hombre Pánico” can be quite forgettable; its artillery is powerful, but its emotional spectrum is hard to read. They might be an instrumental band, but the fans have constructed their own verses to sing along during their gigs, so when that “uno-dos-tres-cuatro!” verse shows up, it’s like Austin TV acknowledging that precious artist-fan disposition.