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Serving as a synopsis of everywhere he's taken Toro Y Moi to date, Chaz Bundick's third full-length is also the longest and loudest of his releases. Here's silky R&B, roller-rink pop, bubblegum funk, and tasteful chillout music, all unified by a voice that's grown more confident with time.
Featured Tracks:
We like to think of artists as straining against their limitations, pushing boundaries, confounding expectations, and provoking listeners. This framework makes it easy to underestimate the kind of ambition Chaz Bundick's demonstrated within the context of Toro Y Moi. He's a prolific artist who never comes off like he's in a race with his muse; he subtly expands his range and refines his production skills, but in genres uniformly bereft of bombast or overstatement. Even after 2011's rep-solidifying Underneath the Pine and its equally worthy successor, the Freaking OutEP*,* many still want to view him as the guy whose earliest singles became definitive documents of a subgenre synonymous with apathy. So Anything in Returncan appear like it has Big Third Album things to prove, ambitious in easily understood ways: it's the longest Toro Y Moi album and the loudest as well. It just manages to do those things on Bundick's self-effacing, generous terms. Which shouldn't obscure Anything In Return's accomplishment of being another strong, forward-thinking record from an artist whose grasp never seems to exceed his reach.
Anything in Return serves as a tidy synopsis of everywhere Bundick has taken Toro Y Moi to date. So there's silky R&B, roller-rink pop, bubblegum funk, tasteful chillout music, all unified by a voice that's grown more confident with time. The light touch he applies to his melodies sounds assured rather than meek. The higher BPMs early on make Bundick's peripheral relationship to dance music more overt. He's been on the giving and receiving end of countless remixes and revived his Les Sins project for a partnership with Dan Snaith's Jiaolong label, so he's had plenty of chances to workshop with similarly-minded artists. 'Harm In Change' is where he shows the results; unlike the introductions from Causers of Thisor Underneath the Pine, Anything In Return doesn't begin on a wobbly note, rousing itself into shape. The bass drum hits almost immediately, and along with single 'Say That', 'Harm In Change' incorporate gestures that would typically have to wait until the inevitable remix make themselves heard: house diva samples serving as punctuation on his own vocal lines, four-on-the-floor beats, modular synth bass, all distinguishing it from the decisively organic Underneath the Pine.
That said, it isn't dancemusic proper, nor does it aim to be. You might already be hearing it as a potential go-to for rooftops, house parties, or any non-club function, or perhaps as dress-up/go-out music for people who don't relate to 'Suit & Tie'. Anything in Return never feels exclusionary, so the extroversion of the music and the increasingly tony production ensures that any mention of Toro Y Moi as a 'bedroom' act has to relate to the lyrical concerns only. 'So Many Details' follows the uptempo introductory duo with a seductive slow grind and cooed lyrics ('This ain't appropriateā¦I just want to tease your eyes') that project a polite sort of lasciviousness before unraveling into a hint-dropping, percussive coda. 'Rose Quartz' consolidates what came before it, two minutes of patient, hands-in-the-air build up before establishing its central juxtaposition of instinctual desires and metaphysical hesitance-- 'Don't let me fall/ 'cause I feel weak.'
As with his previous two LPs, Bundick bookends Anything in Return with the most instantly captivating material, while the middle ultimately establishes the determinative mood. This is where Anything in Return truly differentiates itself. Causers of This took was an immersive experience, aqueous and aquamarine, while the ornate and warm *Underneath the Pine*painted with pastels; Anything In Return is better described by its shape and body rather than its color. While Toro Y Moi is more or less characterized as portable music, you really should consider a nice subwoofer for this one.
This newfound emphasis on the low-end counters his tendency to let songs drift. This is particularly true on tracks that would otherwise be the most stereotypically chillaxed: 'High Living' anchors itself with bass that lets the good times roll very, very slowly, 'Studies' lays nasally funk guitar over an insistent drum break, the champagne-swilling 'Touch' fizzes but never goes flat. It can actually get a little too lost in its luxury; Anything in Return has more truly great music than any Toro Y Moi album, but at 52 minutes, the overall impact gets dulled. When 'Cake' pops up as the 10th track*,* it's by far Bundick's most assertively-sung, and the stickiest as well. It's a revelation for him as an artist, but the startling jolt it provides after the midsection makes you feel like the Anything kicked its feet up for about 10 minutes too long.
Anything in Return could still be called 'lifestyle music' in the pejorative sense. If you think Toro Y Moi exists solely as a sonic accessory for buying tote bags, this album won't do much to change your mind, largely because it doesn't really want to. But Toro Y Moi's music has a relatable quality that can't be overlooked. The most direct lines tend to be fourth-wall busting mentions of being on tour, having no plans on Friday night, and trying to sort out girl problems, especially when they're freaking out about failing a class and how to explain it to their parents.
While tech-obsessed, sonically omnivorous, and emotionally distracted music typically serves as fodder for 'sound of life today' thinkpieces, Anything in Return embodies a certain ideal of young adulthood at the pace it's actually lived; of fluidity between creative pursuits and careers, between hanging out and making out. It's tough to say whether Bundick is seeking to make a 'statement' as Toro Y Moi, no more than any of his peers are seeking to define themselves with a nine-to-five (in fact, his definitive song 'Blessa' may have been about the futility of just that). But the occasional structure is helpful for an artist constantly plotting his next move. For now, the musically and emotionally rewarding Anything in Return evokes the feeling of being young with options and in no hurry to figure it all out.
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