Hole Erth, Chaz Bear's eighth full-length studio record as Toro y

Moi, is the genre shapeshifter's most unexpected and bold

move to date, with Bear diving headlong into rap-rock,

Soundcloud rap and Y2K emo. The album blitzes anthemic

pop-punk next to autotuned, melancholic rap - two genres that

inform one another now more than ever before - and packs in

the most features ever on a Toro y Moi album.

A sense of nostalgia sneaks it's way into almost every Toro y Moi

release, but angst is an emotion that Bear has never

intentionally explored the way he does here. Tracks like

"Tuesday' channel a specific, yet forever-relatable sense of

adolescent unease. A distorted guitar riff leads into a repeating

chorus that conjures misunderstood teenagers singing aloud,

maybe too loud, while riding bikes through American suburbs.

This foreboding can also be heard on "HOV," though not without

poking some fun with lines like "Romance is so cold / My

advice? To bring a coat."

Bear has the energy, but is acutely aware that his energy isn't

forever. At a time when the internet is blending multiple genres

into one at an increasingly rapid pace, Bear accomplishes the

rare feat of keeping up with the contemporary alternative

listener. Constantly changing, evolving and experimenting is the

heart of Toro y Moi, and on Hole Erth Bear challenges but also

reclaims himself, embracing the myriad sounds and eras that

formed him, while crashing new worlds together.