Fans of American singer-songwriter Toro y Moi (also known as Chaz Bundwick or Chaz Bear) may be more familiar with him as a prominent figure in the world of chillwave and synth-pop, but apparently his upcoming 6th album will be, by his own admission, a bonafide “pop record.”
Considering Bundwick’s obvious sense for pop melodies and overall enjoyable music, this may come as welcoming news for many a pop aficionado.
This album, Boo Boo, will see the day of light on July 7th, but fans can already get a taste of y Moi’s take on “pop” with the lead single “Girl Like You.”
The track boasts a slow and synthy atmosphere with an impressive, constantly-building instrumentation. A simple vocal line dances on top of waves of chill magic, neither taking away from or adding too much to the song. The music video also feels strangely appropriate, with its strong nostalgia for the ’80s.
“After 7 years of touring and recording, I found myself becoming self conscious about my position in life as a “famous” person, or at least my version of whatever that is,” said Bundwick himself in regards to the song and the upcoming album. “My dreams had become my reality, yet I was somehow unable to accept this new environment. I couldn’t help but fall into what might be described as an identity crisis. A feedback loop of fearful thoughts left me feeling confused. I felt as though I no longer knew what it was that I actually wanted and needed in and out of life, and at times I felt unable to even tell what was real.
During this time of personal turmoil, I turned to music as a form of therapy, and it helped me cope with the pain that I was feeling… The artists that were influencing what I was making included everyone from Travis Scott to Daft Punk, Frank Ocean to Oneohtrix Point Never, Kashif and Gigi Masin. I recognized that the common thread between these artists was their attention to a feeling of space, or lack thereof. I decided that I wanted to make a Pop record with these ideas in mind. That idea for a record is what eventually became ‘Boo Boo.'”
Toro y Moi’s latest effort was the collaborative record with the Mattson 2 released last March, called Chad Bundick Meets the Mattson 2
Check out the album information and the new single below.