Toro Y Moi - Causers of This

An eclectic dance, club and hip-hop DNA comprises the lifeblood of Causers of This, Toro Y Moi’s entrancing new LP. Heavy reverb, filters, loops and obfuscated vocals are the tools of choice, employed to a mixed degree of success, for Chaz Bundick’s one-man band.

Despite the sophisticated studio-as-instrument technique, Causers of This is fundamentally a pop album, albeit one dipped in molasses. The harmonies recall Brian Wilson and reference Panda Bear, yet the music is always warmer than Person Pitch and never as blissful as anything Beach Boys.

Opening cut and single “Blessa” is one of the most likeable tracks, though it loses its singularity in the wash of similar atmospherics that courses throughout the album. Causers of This makes a bigger statement when it gets funky—tracks like “Freak Love” have a great sense of rhythm—Bundick clearly holds sample-heavy hip-hop producer J Dilla in high regard.

Other moments edge close to the tranquilized disco of Junior Boys, but never equal the duo’s sexiness. The penultimate track, “Low Shoulder,” succeeds by upping the average BPM and giving a bit more primacy to vocals, even incorporating a layered female vocal track.

Causers of This is never languid, but it tends to float by in its 30-minute duration. Despite the disparity of influences, the album will inevitably be classified in a very specific niche; yet it never feels comfortable with its own identity, never able to settle down. The effect is a product that merely hints at danceability and flirts with the idea of catchiness. This skittish overall impression gives the lingering sense of a band that might be best enjoyed—for all its bouncy, hypnotic glory—in the immediacy of a live setting.