Photo by photos by Victoria Milko, courtesy Bad Friend Records.

There’s a lot of influence pumping through the veins of local soul-punk quartet Laughing Man. Their layered, dynamic sound, which takes listeners on a kind of musical roller coaster in their latest album, Be Black Baby (out tomorrow via local label Bad Friend Records), is probably best exemplified in “Body Cop.”

The five-and-a-half minute song kicks off with a hazy, melodic riff and slowly grazes its musical landscape as singer/guitarist Brandon Moses lackadaisically croons over a subtly psychedelic rhythm (featuring some guest instrumentation from prolific cello/guitar duo Janel Leppin & Anthony Pirog). Midway through the song, the quartet’s rhythm section—percussionist Michael Andrew Harris and bassist Luke Stewart—abruptly changes tempo and the song morphs into a kind of lo-fi garage-punk diddy.

There’s a lot of layers to Laughing Man’s particular brand of soul and old school R&B-inspired take on art-punk. The track’s name and lyrics itself a nod to the short-lived doom-y local garage-metal band Bodycop, who broke up in 2011. Laughing Man might not have many sonic similarities to the band, but it’s clear they’re pulling a wide range of influence from places you wouldn’t expect.

You can buy Laughing Man’s “Be Black Baby” tomorrow via Bad Friend Records. The band plays next on October 4 at the Back Alley Theater. Info here.