Since moving from his native South Carolina to the East Bay in 2011, Chaz Bundick has quickly ingratiated himself into the music scene, from DJing at warehouse parties and nightclubs like Public Works under the pseudonym Les Sins, to performing frequently under his best known alias, Toro y Moi, at events like the Treasure Island Festival.
Last month, Toro y Moi released his third album, Anything in Return, and while he continues to explore a blend of synth electronic, R&B melodies and bedroom pop that has made him increasingly popular, his lyrics document the thrills of leaving his home and moving with his girlfriend, a graduate student at UC Berkeley, to a new place for the first time.
It’s a story he tells on “Harm’s Change,” where he sings, “Don’t let me hold you down, we could be there now/And I’d rather drive it through the night/It’s only one more day before we leave this state/And I know she thinks I’ll change my mind.”
Toro y Moi isn’t a local secret — Anything in Return topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart upon its Jan. 22 release and has drawn good reviews from critics. He has embarked on an international tour, but he’ll make a two-night stand at San Francisco’s the Independent for Noise Pop 2013 before moving on to distant locales like Australia, Chile and Brazil. The March 1 and 2 shows, which also feature Dog Bite and Sinkane, have already sold out. But if recent history is any indication, it won’t be long before you have another chance to check out the rising electronic pop star.
