Toro Y Moi
What For? 7/10
Carpark Records
Toro Y Moi is the brainchild of Chaz Bundick, a Carolina Native known for guiding the the chillwave movement. April 7th marks the release of his 5th studio album What For?, joining the list of LPs like Anything in Return and Causer of This. His style encompasses everything from R&B to electric funk, boasting eclectic sounds and chill head bobbing beats.
What for? opens with the noise of race car engines on a speedway, foreshadowing the tone for the rest of the track list. The first song has lyrics like “it doesn’t bother me anymore” and “does anyone know where we go from here”, kind of standoffish, let me do what I want prose matching the adventurous escapade ahead. It transitions into a fuzzy guitar sequence backed by light drumming. Each song is definitely unique, some full of funky base lines like “Buffalo”, others with scratchy guitar rifts and a bit of piano leading the composition, as heard in “Ratcliff”. Although the lyrics aren’t as complex as his other works, which can detract from listening pleasure, it might hint to themes of simplicity. In the track “Spell It Out”, he sings “Do you understand what must be done, don’t make it into something that it’s not”, possibly saying that complex problems sometimes have simple answers, and all we need to do is recognize what’s before our eyes. Though, the sound makes up for lacking lines – it’s relaxing, groovy, and dreamy.
The album is a swirl of the past and present, with psych-electro undertones akin to Tame Impala and Daft Punk appearing in songs like “Lilly” and “Yeah Right”. There’s a 70’s vibe that brings on visions of disco lights and rockin’ aviators with the summer breeze pushing through the car windows – enough style to bring back bell bottoms and sequin shirts (lets hope they stay in the 70’s).
What for? is a fun composition spilled from the mind of Chaz Bundick. Its pitfalls are in its lyrics, but the track list is a medley of creativity on par with his methods. It’s an attempt at trying something different, appearing tamer than his other LPs. The album moves in the right direction and is far from disappointing.