Roadtrippin‰’ in a Hotboxed Car

It makes sense the record opens with the scream of an F1 speeding around a racetrack. Something about this album makes it feel like it was meant for the road. Maybe it‰’s the driving-but-laidback attitude exuding from the foggy guitars, maybe it‰’s the homesick vocals pulling at old memories while simultaneously begging for new ones. Anyways, Toro y Moi‰’s fourth full-length album is a fresh new sound not previously exhibited by indie phenomena Chaz Bundick. Largely credited for the rise of Chillwave in the early 2010s, Bundick‰’s What For? seems to have completely abandoned the outdated musical genre for a nostalgic, 21st century recreation of classic rock chord progressions. Shoegaze-esque haze is still very present in his new work, but he has ditched the use of superfluous electronic equipment in light of intricate guitars subdued by musical smokiness. “Run Baby Run‰” and “Empty Nesters‰” are the epitome of musical nostalgia, and “Lilly‰” is the holy matrimony between thick, wobbling basslines and airy, passionate atmosphere. I can practically smell the weed emanating from “Buffalo‰Û, who‰’s use of soulful rhythms is quite innovative. The 6-minute trip “Yeah Right‰” is the perfect, relaxed outro to perfect, relaxed record.

RIYL: Wild Nothing, Mac Demarco, Porcelain Raft, Keath Mead

Recommended: 2, 4, 6, 9