“What for?”: Toro y Moi’s refreshing take on psychedelia

John Williams likes to recycle themes from British composer Gustav Holst. Little Richard was Paul McCartney’s schoolboy idol. David Bowie learned how to play the saxophone because of how much he liked John Coltrane. Musicians are inspired by other musicians every day, and often times, this inspiration infiltrates and influences their own music.South Carolinian music producer Chaz Bundick is no exception. His fourth album “What For?,” under the name Toro y Moi, heralds back to the psychedelic/classic rock movement. The 10 songs in this album display any of the themes you might find in 70s pop radio: vintage keys, guitars swoops at the chorus, drums that percolate underneath and a gentle voice that gives it all a hazy feel.

The album begins with the buzzes and roars of race-car engines on a speedway, sounds that directly oppose of the speed of the album. Once the noises fade into the first song, “What you want.” After the car sounds, the rest of the album has a tempo that is remarkably slow and relaxed like most of the “chillwave” music, for which Toro y Moi is famed.A lot of the songs on “What For?” spend time building up tension in anticipation of the chorus so that when the chorus hits, the listener feels a sense of relief, allowing them to en- joy Bundick’s melodic choruses all the more. This theme can be seen in the song “Ratcliff,” where ascending notes lead into a sweet chorus of the words “Rock ’n roll is here to stay.”Some songs, however, are more upbeat and groovy, like the song “Empty Nesters,” which has swirling vintage-y psychedelic guitar contributions from Unknown Mortal Orchestra guitarist Ruban Nielson. A buoyant base part from Real Estate associate Julian Lynch that keep the song grounded.

Bundick’s biggest issue in “What For?,” and one that has prevailed throughout all of his work, is that his compositions do not stick with you after you listen to them. They are not songs that you will remember even after two, three, four or five listens. However, this flaw is greatly over-shadowed by the fact that this album, with its woozy-sleepy guitar parts and soulful melodies that push and pull you in every which way, is a pleasant revival of classic sounds.