Toro y Moi shares new single “Heaven” featuring Kevin Abstract and Lev. The song arrives alongside an India Sleem-directed video set against a suburban backdrop, which feels apt given the song’s interpolation of Broken Social Scene’s “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl” and the themes of Toro y Moi’s forthcoming album Hole Erth. “Heaven” marks the second taste of Hole Erth following lead single “Tuesday”.
Speaking about “Heaven,” Toro y Moi shares:
As a musician, you’ll occasionally hear stories about these songs that a songwriter said, ‘…just came out of thin air.’ Or ‘they were written in a matter of minutes or hours– they just have a nonchalant magic to them.’ ‘Heaven’ was just that. It was my first day of the Hole Erth sessions at Different Fur in San Francisco. I asked Grace Coleman, the engineer to open a random session from a batch of demos from my studio. Within an hour of opening the session I found myself wrapping a second verse and it occurred to me I might have a song worth finishing. It was a moment of literally letting go of these songs and into someone else’s hands (and computer) and taking on the songwriter role fully, not thinking about production or the mix and just listening to my thoughts. I ultimately found myself writing about moments of processing and realizing that the journey of the musician is a constant practice, paying attention to one aspect only allows room for something to slip away. How does one make a decision when the options presented are all poetically polarizing?
The release of “Heaven” also coincides with the announcement of Toro y Moi’s show at The Greek Theatre that was originally set for this August shifting to October 25th. Alongside Toro playing the storied Bay Area venue, his biggest to date in his home market and first headlining shows in the area since two sold-out nights at The Fillmore in San Francisco in 2019, he’ll also be playing headline shows at Hollywood Forever in Los Angeles and The Knockdown Center in Queens following the album’s release.
While Toro y Moi has long built a reputation for reinventing himself from one body of work to the next, Hole Erth might represent his boldest musical pivot to date. The album synthesizes anthemic pop-punk and autotuned, melancholic rap into a body of work that is both very much of the now, but also a reflection of long-running threads in Toro y Moi mastermind Chaz Bear’s musical history — from his childhood immersion in punk and emo to his past production work for some of the biggest names in modern rap. First single “Tuesday” serves as a statement of intent, complete with serrated guitar tones and a soaring chorus.
Speaking about the album and its genesis, Bear shares: “I hope you enjoy this suburban anthem. Growing up, the often-controversial line between mainstream and underground artists was so defined, but now that line has become so blurred I can’t even tell what I like anymore…sometimes.”
Listen to and watch “Heaven” above now and see below for all Hole Erth info and upcoming Toro y Moi tour dates.
Upcoming Live Dates
8/9 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
8/10 – Seattle, WA @ Thing Fest
8/11 – Portland, OR @ The Best Day Ever Festival
9/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Forever (with Zack Fox DJ set)
9/27-28 Las Vegas, NV – A Big Beautiful Block Party
10/3 – Queens, NY @ The Knockdown Center
10/18 – 10/19 – Miami, FL @ III Points Festival
10/25 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre (with Aminé)