Outer Peace

Chaz Bear never makes the same Toro y Moi record twice. He's spent a decade fine-tuning his chillwave sound, adding elements, refining, and discarding while making albums that constantly confound expectations and still deliver the songs and moods that make him a vital artist. After the narcotic, nocturnal R&B of Boo Boo, he seemingly immersed himself in Daft Punk and the DFA back catalog when putting songs together for the next record. Outer Peace kicks off with a three-song dance party. Rubbery basslines, clicking guitars, wobbly synth squiggles, Bear's open-hearted vocals, and pumping beats fuel the most ecstatic songs Bear has put to tape since his Les Sin's side project. The thunderous bassline on "Ordinary Life" is almost worth the price of admission alone, and the Acid House synth squiggles on "Fading" have a nostalgic glow. It's an impressively exciting opening, but the listener soon crashes back to reality with some late-night R&B that's reminiscent of Boo Boo, but stripped down to the radio-friendly basics. "Miss Me" features lead vocals by ABRA and skeletal backing, "New House" is introspective and chilly balladry. The rest of the record flits between uptempo, fun dancefloor jams ("Freelance," "Who Am I") as warm and fun as the first day of spring to late-night R&B like "Baby Drive It Down" and "Monte Carlo," that are reminiscent of Boo Boo and have all the shiny, radio-friendly trappings of modern pop. Outer Peace takes Toro y Moi to some new and interesting places, while further refining Bear's take on late-night R&B. ~ Tim Sendra