Toro y Moi, the musical project of Chaz Bear, is set to release his eighth studio album, ‘Hole Erth’, on 6th September via Dead Oceans. Ahead of the release, Bear has shared two new tracks from the album: ‘Hollywood’, featuring Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, and ‘CD-R’.
Speaking about ‘Hollywood’, Bear said: “I’ve been a fan of Ben’s music for some time now and it only felt right to have him be a part of this record. With the album having themes of angst and nostalgia, ‘Hollywood’ felt like a perfect fit.”
Regarding ‘CD-R’, Bear explained: “‘CD-R’ is a song that pays homage to the days before playlisting and streaming—the days when things were curated by people and not the algorithm.”
The new tracks follow the previously released singles ‘Tuesday’ and ‘Heaven’, the latter featuring Kevin Abstract and Lev, and incorporating elements of Broken Social Scene’s ‘Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl’.
The album’s title draws inspiration from Stewart Brand’s periodical, Whole Earth Catalog, which was published regularly from 1968 to 1971, and sporadically until 1998.
Bear elaborated on the album’s themes: “Things have gone in a more gorp-y direction. Humans are tapping into this more tribal, earthier aesthetic. The Whole Earth Catalog is this encyclopedic, self-sustaining guide. With the album title alone, that’s something I wanted to spark as a conversation. We can be off the grid, and also be on the internet, and try out all of these different lifestyles at the same time.”
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