Whether you enjoy the music or just the spirited debate it provokes, chillwave has been an interesting genre to follow since its inception these last several years, but what’s becoming more interestin
Whether you enjoy the music or just the spirited debate it provokes, chillwave has been an interesting genre to follow since its inception these last several years, but what’s becoming more interesting by the day is just tracking the vast musical direction the musicians in this modern genre.
Toro y Moi is as synonymous with the recent chillwave movement as The Ramones are with punk music or My Bloody Valentine is with shoegaze, but unlike those acts and other artists so ingrained with a specific sound, Toro y Moi is branching out in a distinct way that most are finding to be a stark departure to the ambient sounds that got him noticed in the first place.
The musician, (whose real name is Chaz Bundick), released his fourth album What For? this past April which abandons the more synth-laden sound found in his catalogue for a better defined sound rooted in polished indie rock. For the most part, it was a sonic risk that paid off big for Bundick with critics and fans praising the album’s songwriting and its ability to keep the same overall tone of his previous works, though with completely different tonal textures. Bundick himself admits it wasn’t really a calculated risk on his part, but more of an unfulfilled desire finally being realized.
“The main thing is that it was something I’d never done. It’s just an album I’ve always wanted to make and it’s just taken me a while to finally have a chance to make it.”
Still, much has been discussed on Bundick moving past chillwave and what it means for the genre itself. Other stalwarts of the genres like Small Black have released records since that are still proudly waving that musical flag, but people are wondering if Toro y Moi’s migration to the other end of the musical spectrum is something that will have rippling effects in the years to come, much like when Radiohead abandoned traditional alt-rock for electronica.
“For me, I just decided to stop doing that once it was called chillwave. It’s like how most painters disliked Dada once the name Dada came about. They all said, ‘well, this isn’t fun now that it’s a thing so I’m going to go do something else.’ I wasn’t really trying to make something crazy different or break any new ground necessarily. It just turned into that and it’s nice to just let that be what it was. From here, there’s tons of places where you go and I don’t know exactly what type of music I’m going to make next.”
There’s something to be said about the fact that as rock musicians are utilizing synthesizers more and more and guitars less and less, Bundick is garnering acclaim by doing the exact opposite. Though it’s a sore spot for most people who grew up idolizing the emergence of grunge and alt-rock in the 90s, the South Carolina musician is a lot more comfortable about it, despite having such a deep, personal connection to that style.
“A lot of it comes from following trends or naturally wanting to go against the grain, but I think bands that are utilizing more and more synthesizers are fine as long as they do it tastefully. The problem lies in Pop 40 music though and how it just seems to always go for that quick generic sound.”
Fixing that problem is no easy feat as Bundick is quick to establish, but he feels there’s definitely room to expand while still maintaining popularity. To him, this challenging feat is almost a natural occurrence in hip-hop music. “I feel like hip-hop is doing better about exploring new sounds and approaches. It’s always done that and been on the forefront in that regard and it changes pop music as a result. Hip-hop changed the way Taylor Swfit sounds. That world will always influence the rock and pop world because it’s very forward thinking in terms of trying to incorporate hooks and trying to be new. All the artists in Top 40 hip-hop are still trying to win that metaphorical crown and there’s still a lot of beef in hip-hop today as a result. There’s nothing like that in the rock or pop world. No one is really saying something. Top 40 is always going to be not deep music, but I feel like hip hop still has a lot to say no matter what.”
Bundick is certainly not alone in his view of hip-hop in this regard (Craig Finn of The Hold Steady notably relayed the same opinion to us back in 2013) and it’s the aspect of rivalries in hip-hop and striving to out-do your peers that really seems to fuel the evolution of hip-hop. It’s something that was a a staple of the early rock movement in the 60s that spawned some of the best music of the past fifty years and while it’s not as prevalent today as it was then, it still drives many current musicians, including Bundick himself.
“I think there’s still some competition today. It’s an innate, behavioral thing whether we try to do it or not. Top 40 definitely still has that too. I feel like that industry is going at it from a business standpoint and that’s 100% competition. I think it’s still there in the indie world too. I see it as friendly competition though, but I want bigger records and more fans. It’s just what makes it fun and gives me that drive.”
When asked if there was a specific act that he looks to in this regard, Bundick was rapid fire in naming Tame Impala, whose new record Currents is a heavy favorite for album of the year in 2015. “That’s just an amazing record and I really want to be where they are. I think they know that too and they’re bringing it and just doing a great job being a band of that stature while still making great decisions sonically and aesthetically. That’s the world I want to be in so I don’t think as it as competition, but that’s the kind of status I’d like to be respected as.”
Bundick is making clear steps to reach that status as he moves past chillwave and establishes his robust songwriting in multiple genres and styles. As fascinating as it was to watch Toro y Moi evolve even before this latest record, it’s almost compelling to keep an ear out to what comes next from the musician as he strives to match artists like Tame Impala and naturally move himself into new sonic dimensions. Who knows where Toro y Moi will be by the time his next album comes out? Chillwave may be a relic of the past by that point, but someone with an aptitude for brilliant songwriting like Toro y Moi will surely still be at the vanguard of any music scene and probably for years to come after that.
Toro y Moi brings his new guitar direction and original chillwave sound to The National this Saturday night with Astronauts, etc. opening the show. For more information on the show and where to buy tickets, just click here.
