About

No longer content with merely capturing the sound of four wildly talented musicians in a room together, the Australian “future soul” group transforms on their vibrant and psychedelic third album.

For all the dynamism of their music, Hiatus Kaiyote have only a couple of lyrical moods: sultry or ecstatic. Nai Palm is an endearingly stoney lyricist, and, sure enough, she starts off “Chivalry Is Not Dead” with an erotic verse that sounds like it was inspired by a blazed viewing of a nature documentary: “If I were a leopard slug,” she sings, “I would reach out with the blue rose of ours, wrapping myself around you.” Digging more deeply into these feelings—not to mention the genderfucked reproductive practices they imply—could be a worthy next step. But even when she pares down her lyrics to simple paeans of love, lust, and devotion, her voice animates the words with pathos and meaning. On their best album yet, Hiatus Kaiyote shine by building an architecture around these emotions, coming alive when they allow themselves to be more than just a great band. – Pitchfork