Hiatus Kaiyote is a neo-soul band from Melbourne, Australia consisting of lead singer/guitarist Nai Palm, bassist Paul Bender, keyboardist Simon Mavin & drummer Clever Austin. Their sophomore effort Choose Your Weapon the month I graduated high school in 2015 was my introduction to them & I loved how they fused it with soul jazz, acid jazz, funk music, nu jazz, progressive pop & neo-psychedelia. They finally returned 7 years later making their Brainfeeder Records debut on Mood Valiant maintaining the neo-soul & nu jazz elements from previously except putting a bigger emphasis on psychedelia. 3 summers later, Nai & company are returning for their 4th album.

“Dreamboat” majestically begins singing for the titular object to sail away & take her home whereas “Telescope” fuses psychedelic soul, neo-soul, contemporary R&B, neo-psychedelia, Afropiano & jazz-funk transporting listeners to an intimate crux in the universe to find solace in their shared musicality. “Make Friends” crosses over neo-soul, contemporary R&B, jazz-funk, psychedelic soul & jazz fusion exploring the concept of recognition principally in regards to gender identity leading into “Everything’s Beautiful” following the “BMO is Beautiful” interlude featuring Niki Yang working in elements of neo-soul, jazz-funk, jazz fusion & psychedelic soul finding beauty in literally everything.

Meanwhile on “Dimitri”, we have Nai over more funky production singing about everyone being “amputees of our divination” leading into what could possibly be my least favorite track on the entire album “Longcat” futuristically talking about the longest cat in the world for 105 seconds. “How to Meet Yourself” fortunately picks things back up working in pianos with the title much like “Everything’s Beautiful” speaking for itself conceptually just before the title track brings psychedelic soul, neo-soul, art pop, trip hop & neo-psychedelia encouraging to keep it handsome. “Cinnamon Temple” releases the pressure mixing psychedelic soul, experimental rock, math rock, noise rock, neo-psychedelia & progressive rock prior to the closer “White Rabbit” covering Jefferson Airplane.

In addition to providing the world a snapshot of 4 musicians dancing together on the edge, Nai & company also give us a cohesively wide-eyed yet relaxed body of work that reflects a deeper understanding of themselves & the music they wish to share with the world around them. And on the contrary of the band’s appraisal mostly stemming from their complexity, Love Heart Cheat Code has a simpler approach generally. I’d be further remissed if I didn’t mention Hiatus Kaiyote venturing out of their prominently psychedelic neo-soul sound in favor of contemporary R&B, Afropiano, jazz-funk, jazz fusion, art pop, trip hop, experimental rock, math rock, noise rock, neo-psychedelia & progressive rock.

Score: 4.5/5

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