Hole Erth [CD]

"Hole Erth", Chaz Bear's eighth studio album as Toro y Moi, is the genre-changer's most unexpected and boldest move yet. Bear dives headfirst into rap-rock, Soundcloud rap and Y2K emo. The album combines anthemic pop-punk and melancholic rap - two genres that influence each other now more than ever - and contains the most features ever heard on a Toro y Moi album. A sense of nostalgia creeps into almost every Toro y Moi release, but angst is an emotion Bear has never intentionally explored the way he does here.

Tracks like "Tuesday" channel a specific but forever relatable sense of adolescent unease. A distorted guitar riff leads to a repetitive chorus reminiscent of misunderstood teenagers singing loudly - perhaps too loudly - while riding their bikes through American suburbs. This foreboding can also be heard in "HOV", but not without funny lines like "Romance is so cold / My advice? To Bring a coat." to amaze. Bear has the energy, but is aware that his energy won't last forever. At a time when the internet is merging multiple genres at an increasingly rapid pace, Bear manages the rare feat of keeping up with the contemporary alternative listener. The heart of Toro y Moi is to constantly change, evolve and experiment.

On "Hole Erth", Bear challenges himself, but also embraces the myriad sounds and eras that have shaped him as he smashes together new worlds.