Chaz Bear, who makes music as Toro y Moi, is preparing to release his latest project MAHAL, his follow-up to 2019's Outer Peace and his debut for Dead Oceans. Today, Bear shared the single "The Loop" and a Company Studio–directed video that features him cruising with friends in a Bay Area GoCar, a skateboard, and a personally decorated Jeepney.
MAHAL seems centered around laid back '60s and '70s psych-rock compared to the punchy and eclectic energy that brought Outer Peace to life. "The Loop" maintains that affable and unforced cool Bear is skilled at capturing. He fixates on relatable anxieties, like the weekend ending in the blink of an eye, and modern absurdities in this fast-paced world. "East Coast friends fill me in," he sings during the second verse. "I know you get the early scoop / Online trends that border cringe start to feel overused."
Everyday is an exhausting whirlpool of headlines, trending hashtags, and time disappearing. Most of the time it doesn't feel like there's even a loop to grab onto, but Toro y Moi reminds us that it's a constant struggle. Even then, being outside of it isn't the end of the world. It actually sounds sort of nice.
Watch "The Loop" below, and pre-order MAHAL here.
