Toro y Moi just dropped his latest album. 

On 29 April, the Filipino-American multihyphenate unveiled his 7^th full-length record, MAHAL, his boldest and most eclectic album to date.

Spanning 13 tracks, MAHAL takes listeners on an auditory expedition through various genres—from psychedelic rock to post-rock, similar to the experience of riding a Filipino jeepney that adorns the album's cover. The record pays homage to the highly acclaimed musician's previous works, while also trekking new sonic territories. 

"I knew I wanted to make something that was again representative of who I am. And I don't mean that in the sense that like: Yeah, I should make this Filipino. But I am talking more about like my American Southern roots," said Toro y Moi in an interview. 

"Channeling blues and country and Southern rock in this record – that was a big step for me. I feel like the south isn't always represented accurately. And so like that was something I was debating with myself a lot: How do I show my love for where I came from, without exotifying it or like extorting it?"

The 'Ordinary Pleasure' act shares that he took a lot of inspiration from the French band Zeugma while putting together MAHAL. "They are like this really interesting psych-rock band. That has these interesting Americana influences—it's very kind of country, kind of Serge Gainsbourg-esque, but with a little twang. It's good stuff," he shared. 

Much like the band, his vision for the album was to bring together an array of influences and sounds and channel "the most obscure parts of the world".

Thematically, MAHAL—which he started writing almost six years ago—explores stories that almost pick up from where Toro y Moi's 2015 record What For? left off. 

"I went into this record knowing that it's kinda sort of the sister album [to What For?], in the sense that like it is a heavier version of this rock side of Toro. What For? is asking the question while MAHAL is the answer. 'Mahal' [in Taglog] means love," he shared. 

The album comes as Toro y Moi's first release under Dead Oceans, which he signed to in late 2021. 

Listen to Toro y Moi's MAHAL here.