TORO Y MOI – Mahal – LP – Silver Vinyl

LP Indies Only Limited Edition Silver Vinyl

Toro y Mois seventh studio album, MAHAL, is the boldest and most fascinating journey yet from musical mastermind Chaz Bear. The record spans genre and soundencompassing the shaggy psychedelic rock of the 1960s and 70s, and the airy sounds of 1990s mod-post-rocktaking listeners on an auditory expedition, as if theyre riding in the back of Bears Filipino jeepney that adorns the albums cover. But MAHAL is also an unmistakably Toro y Moi experience, calling back to previous works while charting a new path forward in a way that only Bear can do.

MAHAL is the latest in an accomplished career for Bear, whos undoubtedly one of the decades most influential musicians. Since the release of the electronic pop landmark Causers of This in 2009, subsequent records as Toro y Moi have repeatedly shifted the idea of what his sound can be. But theres little in Bears catalog that will prepare you for the deep-groove excursions on MAHAL, his most eclectic record to date.

The second the album begins were immediately transported into the passenger seat, jeep sounds and all, ready for the ride Chaz and company have concocted for us. Seeds of some of MAHALs 13 songs date back to the more explicitly rock-oriented What For? from 2015. MAHAL was mostly completed last year in Bears Oakland studio with the involvement of a host of collaborators, Sofie Royer and Unknown Mortal Orchestras Ruban Neilson to Neon Indians Alan Palomo and The Mattson 2.

I wanted to make a record that featured more musicians on it than any other record of mine, he explains. To have them live on that record feels grounded, bringing a communal perspective to the table. As a result, MAHAL is lush and surprising at every turn, from the cool-handed The Loop, which recalls Sly and the Family Stones, to the elastic psych rock of Foreplay and the dizzying Mulatu Astatke-recalling of Last Year.

Lyrically, the album zooms in on generational concerns, picking up where the Outer Peace standout Freelance effectively left off. Bear seems to be surveying the ways in which we
connect with technology, media, each other, and what disappears as a result. Cuts like the squishy Postman and Magazine take a deep dive into our relationship with media in a changing digital world. Its interesting to see how we adapt to this new age. Were so connected, but were still missing out on things, Bear ruminates while discussing the albums themes.

Its not all introspection. Bear cools things down near the albums end with the Mattson 2-featuring Millennium, a laid-back jam with tricky guitar licks about ringing in new times even
when everything else seems upside down. Its about enjoying the new year, even when its been shitty, Bear explains. Theres nothing else to do. Finding a sense of joy in the face of adversity is embedded in MAHALs DNA, right down to the jeepney that literally and figuratively brings the music out into the community. We know that touring is messed up for now, and large gatherings are a fluke, he explains. Its about the notion of us going out to the people and bringing the record to them. And with the wide-open atmosphere of MAHAL, Toro y Moi stands to connect with more listeners than ever before.

Tracklisting:

Side A
1. The Medium
2. Goes By So Fast
3. Magazine (feat. Salami Rose Joe Louis)
4. Postman
5. The Loop
6. Last Year
7. Mississippi

Side B
8. Clarity (feat. Sofie)
9. Foreplay
10. Dj Vu
11. Way Too Hot
12. Millennium (feat. The Mattson 2)
13. Days in Love