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Product Description
Contents Format: CD Specifications: Jewel case Chaz Bear's project, Toro y Moi, based in the Bay Area, has completed its new album. Their eighth album, "Hole Earth," is an unexpected and bold take on rap-rock, SoundCloud rap, and Y2K emo. Guests: Don Toliver, Kevin Abstract, Rev, Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service) Chaz Bear's eighth full-length studio album as Toro y Moi, "Hole Earth," is Bear's most unexpected and bold work to date as a genre shapeshifter, as he directly tackles rap-rock, SoundCloud rap, and Y2K emo. This album fuses two genres that influence each other more than ever before?anthemistic pop-punk and autotuned, melancholic rap?and features the most guests on a Toro y Moi album to date. Don Toliver delivers a moody vocal performance on the anti-love song "Madonna," while Kevin Abstract and Lev showcase their harmonious reflections on "Heaven." Emo king Benjamin Gibbard also contributes to the millennial indie pulse. Recorded over several months from late 2023 to early 2024, 'Hole Earth' is characterized by its spontaneous creation, born simply from Bear reaching out to longtime friends. The sum of each part of 'Hole Earth' is enormous, particularly demonstrating Bear's masterful abilities as a producer in hip-hop. His role in the culture has long been solidified through past collaborations with some of the biggest pioneers in rap. For Bear, it was a bold shift, but not difficult. As a result, Bear opens up new sonic horizons in Toro y Moi's work while embracing the project's electronic beginnings. Hole Earth is brand new, yet somehow perfectly familiar. The album's title is an homage to Stewart Brand's DIY periodical Whole Earth, published in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The similarities can be seen throughout Hole Earth, from product reviews of carpentry tools to guides on growing your own food and techno-optimistic analyses that would inspire Silicon Valley's startup culture. The sounds that make up Hole Earth may feel like new territory for Bear, but in reality, it is a return to the roots of Toro y Moi, a project that has always kept electronic music on track. "Toro y Moi isn't a rock band. For me, folk and psychedelic rock records are side quests. What drew me to the Toro y Moi project was the electronic production, the samples," Bear asserts. At the heart of 'Hole Earth' is playful ambition and experimentation. Bear has energy, but he's acutely aware that it won't last forever. As the internet increasingly merges multiple genres at an ever-rapid pace, Bear is achieving the rare feat of keeping up with today's alternative listener. Constantly changing, evolving, and experimenting is at the core of Toro y Moi, and with 'Hole Earth,' Bear embraces the countless sounds and eras that have shaped him, challenging himself while rediscovering himself, as he clashes with new worlds. Based in the Bay Area of ??South Carolina, Toro y Moi is a project by Chaz Bear that has been ongoing for over 12 years. Following the global economic collapse of 2008, Toro y Moi emerged on the scene as a leading figure in chillwave (a subgenre of music), and continues to exert a profound influence on other musicians today. Over the next decade, Bear's music and graphic design gained widespread acclaim. He released six albums on Carpark Records, exploring psychedelic rock, deep house, and UK hip-hop while maintaining his R&B and Toro y Moi identity. He also worked as a songwriter and producer, collaborating with artists such as Tyler, The Creator, Flume, Travis Scott, HAIM, and Tegan and Sara. As a graphic designer, he has collaborated with brands such as Nike, Dublab, and Van's. Subsequently, Toro y Moi signed with a new label, Dead Oceans, and released their seventh album, "MAHAL," in April 2022. [TRACKLIST] 01. Walking In The Rain 02. CD-R 03. HOV 04. Tuesday 05. Hollywood (feat. Benjamin Gibbard) 06. Reseda (feat. Duckwrth & Elijah Kessler) 07. Babydaddy 08. Madonna (feat. Don Toliver) 09. Undercurrent (feat. Don Toliver & Porches) 10. Off Road 11. Smoke (feat. Kenny Mason) 12. Heaven (feat. Kevin Abstract and Lev) 13. Starlink (feat. Glaive) Media Reviews and More: Chaz Bear's Bay Area-based project, Toro y Moi, has completed his new album. His unexpected and bold 8th album, "Whole Earth," which directly tackles rap-rock, SoundCloud rap, and Y2K emo, has been released. (C)RS