TyM

electronica

Part of the fun in following Chaz Bundick’s musical trajectory is hearing how he changes up his style from one project to the next. From Causers of This on, each Toro Y Moi release has been a subtle shakeup: 2011’s stellar Underneath the Pine laser-cut the corners of chillwave down to a fine point; 2013’s Anything in Return turned his songwriterly impulses into disco and pop gems; and, most recently, he channeled early experiments with garage and indie rock into this past April’s What For? But each project somehow sounds distinctly like Toro Y Moi, bound by Bundick’s unflagging production chops. The latest Toro Y Moi project, Samantha, is a free mixtape that piles together recordings from as far back as 2012 and as recent as last month. It serves as a neat way of tracking Bundick’s progression as a musician while prominently highlighting his talent for both beat-driven and atmospheric production. Samantha is filled with unexpected turns. Sparse one- and two-minute instrumental sketches serve as interludes, creating a sense of flow with soul and R&B samples (Stoned at the MoMA, Prayer Hands, the Ciara-quoting Boo Boo Mobile). Bundick ventures into ambient on glitchy, sedate closer welp, tour’s over and ambient Rainbow, with the latter layering choral vocals and soothing washes of sound to mesmerizing ends. It’s a testament to Bundick’s innovation that he’s still finding ways to contort his signature sound into new shapes. Even when songs do call back to h...