Album Review: Toro y Moi’s Outer Peace
Chaz Bear, North Carolina native, came into the music scene in the mid 2000’s. He is a singer, songwriter and record producer who has worked with artists such as Travis Scott, Tyler, The Creator, Chromeo and Kool A.D.
As he incorporates indie pop, psychedelic sound and house music, Toro y Moi is well-known for his influence on “chillwave” music. Chillwave started back in 2010 and is known for its retro pop and psychedelic sound.
Toro y Moi likes to challenge himself to work with Hip-Hop and R&B to create a theme he refers to as, “finding peace in the most antithetical of space.”
For his seventh studio album, Outer Peace, Toro y Moi delivers ten tracks of groovy tunes that will have you dancing everywhere like it is your own dance floor. The Funk, Hip-Hop beats and R&B sounds combine to add a great touch in creating different sounds that Toro y Moi always switches up.
The project is named Outer Peace because he wanted to reference a relationship between a person’s identity and their sense of place in the world. Toro y Moi’s described this project as “a response to how disposable culture has become and how it affects creativity.”
Creativity is a big deal to the musician as they want their music to resonate with people who are creative and work hard. Toro y Moi also wanted this album to be enjoyable and to be what he describes as “car music.”
Featured artists on the album include ABRA, WET and Instupendo. Toro y Moi went from sad and melancholy on his last album, to pleasurable and groovy on his new one. With his two released singles, “Freelance” and “Ordinary Pleasure”, listeners got a teaser of just how funky this album was.
Toro y Moi also givers listeners an idea of just how creative he is when it comes to melodies and rhythms. He records majority of his music on his phone, and has made tunes off of things like a crosswalk button and a puddle of water.
“Freelance” was created in a bagel shop. Toro y Moi describes this song after himself, as he deals with being his own boss and dealing with things himself. This song gives a “funkytown” vibe but in a slower version.
Toro y Moi delivers what we expect as the beats start the minute you hit play. Different drum like sounds, almost like coins dropping, start the song off. The sounds are then merged together by the base and funky tunes from his own mix. The tunes are the repetitive throughout the one minute songs with lyrics referencing pressure, growing, and self-realization.
“Who Am I” is a song that relates to what Toro y Moi’s references as “battling of identity crisis.” Mid chorus, Toro y Moi sings, “Add an accent to your sound/ Now I don’t know who I am.”
People are more comfortable with their inner self. In the outside world people often question their place. He brings out the retro pop as the song starts off with beam like sounds fading over a flight attendants voice, who is explaining carry-ons for a plane ride to Los Angeles. Then tech and psychedelic sound chime with a noise that sounds like a rewinding tape to create this enjoyable robotic like beat.
Toro y Moi is a perfect example to show people how you can create anything off of the internet. He was able to take different sounds and vibes from other artists or objects, and created something completely different from his previous work.
From his last album, BooBoo, you got a more sad and melancholy sound from Toro y Moi. Outer Peace is his best work yet, as he has created this vibrant yet funky sound that gives someone those great summer vibes!
Rating: 7/10
Rachel Miloscia is a Junior majoring in Telecommunications. To contact her, email her at rmiloscia34@gmail.com.
