Toro Y Moi keeps his cool with new record Anything in Return

Toro Y Moi, real name Chazwick Bundick, released his third studio album Anything in Return this week and has taken a bold dip into the mainstream. The 26-year-old American producer first emerged from the chill wave scene with his debut LP, Causers of This, in 2010.

On this latest record, Bundwick has decided to make a beeline for more pop-oriented dance grooves. By recently admitting he is a fan of Justin Bieber – as a track like Cake would suggest – Chazwick Bundick states an ambitious intention to grab a wider demographic, and lose the impression of being too cool to be exposed. 

Anything in Return’s up-tempo party vibe has no intention of letting off from the word go. Harm in Change is a welcoming bass building bass dropper, falling neatly into Say That, which sounds like it was picked out of the vinyl bag of a 90s speed-garage DJ. Bundwick’s Pharrell Williams-like vocals lend well to an innocent take on R’n’B, yet So Many Details embodies enough bump and grind, layered on top of soaring synths, and sultry vocal harmonising to be considered as sexy. 

Rose Quartz and Touch are two tracks designed to delve into the kind of ambient house four-to-the-floor that should get the ravers losing their sense and bearings. The synth-inclined ambience runs through this record from beginning to end, it neatly falls into place and nothing is forced. Even with the distorted dub bass line of Cola, at no point is it intended to purposely cajole you into making a move, accompanied with an understated piano line and well placed vocal sampling.

Anything in Return later lays back in the sun, and douses itself in the funk of High Living and Grown Up Calls. The two bookends, Never Matter and How’s It Wrong, emphasise the now catchy nature of Bundick’s song-writing ability.

Toro Y Moi has made intelligent electronic music here. His often purposely immature take on relationships and heartache is instantly appreciable among his target audience and those who prefer a lighter sound. The beauty of this album is that there is nothing exclusive about it and he has clearly opened doors to those who may not have seen him otherwise.

Samuel Mensah

Anything in Return is released on 22^nd January 2013. For further information or to order the album visit Toro y Moi’s website here.

Watch the video for Say That here: