When Toro y Moi cleared his Instagram and started sharing content solely from his home state of South Carolina (and the insinuating caption “midnight”) fans suspected he was cooking something up. Earlier today, Toro y Moi (a.k.a Chaz Bear), proved suspicions accurate, dropping both a surprise five-song EP, Sandhills, as well as a complementary short film to accompany its release.
Running at just under 14 minutes, Sandhills features five indie-folk tracks, marking a striking departure from Bear’s typical synthy sound. All five tracks work together to compress his thoughts on his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina into a cohesive, easy-to-listen-to project, ideal for the nostalgic end of summer.
The artist also shared an hour-long short film, which extends his personal connection to the album. Produced by his high school photography teacher Katherine Perry, the Sandhills short film further explores his relationship with his Southern hometown. Steve Daniels – who once assisted the artist with a music video for his high school band – directed the film, which also features Bear’s actual high school football team.
Sandhills is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music. Check out the short film above.
Elsewhere in new music, Vic Mensa announced his forthcoming sophomore album VICTOR.
