The King Khan & BBQ Show: Invisible Girl

Sensitivity comes in many shapes. On one hand, there’s the tender, heart-on-sleeve sensitivity championed by the classic singer-songwriter. On the other, there’s the type of sensitivity advertised on condom boxes. The garage-rock duo known as The King Khan & BBQ Show has always had its fingers in both—but the contradiction is even more deliciously distinct on its latest, Invisible Girl. Taking a break from the skull-scraping distortion of previous releases, the group leans even more on BBQ’s simmering, shimmering R&B, a sweet sound that draws on doo-wop and Sam Cooke even as it embraces the thick, primal thump of The Sonics and The Kinks. The guitars are quieter, but they’re soaked in echo and even a haunting delicacy, at least when they aren’t slashing like treble-edged switchblades. Of course, the twosome still loves to kick itself in the groin with X-rated rave-ups like “Tastebuds,” in which Khan and BBQ holler about tastebuds on cocks, tastebuds on cunts, and other such pornographic dementia. Sensitivity never felt so filthy—and garage rock has rarely felt so fun.