EP Reviews: Brand New Stuff Pt. 1 with Kai Whiston, Coi Leray, and Toro Y Moi

XUL1 EP - Kai Whiston

In my opinion, Kai has been improving more and more with every release. That hit a new high-point last year when he dropped the wonderful Quiet As Kept, F.O.G. The album fused together narrative storytelling with an expansive list of electronica microgenres that I really appreciated and led me to call the album one of the most underrated of the decade so far on my YouTube channel. That's why I was excited to see a surprise new EP from Kai dropped onto our collective lap. While these five new songs all up to just 11 minutes and I didn't have any context at all going into them, I was no less excited to see what they had to offer. 

Calling the project a "shift" would be tricky because it's hard to even define what Kai is shifting away from, but one immediate observation about the songs is how dancy they are. While the skittering drums of the opening track SPITITOUT don't really knock my socks off the thumping bass that replaces it on NOTHINGBETTER. The tracks also have this very surrealist hip-hop element to them with what are ostensibly rap verses but altered with more vocal effects than I can count until they're almost indistinguishable. All of that gets dialed up even further on the project's mid-point UNDERSTATED which is even more hard-hitting even if I find it a tad less memorable. 

I'm definitely less crazy about the last two songs with neither the stuttering trap drums of AUSTIN or the warbled vocals of SNOW doing much for me. While I still think Kai is deeply underrated as an artist this isn't the project I see breaking him big. That's largely because it feels very alien but without strong direction and the chances that every single one of these sounds will click with most people is low, they certainly didn't click with me. Thankfully, there's still compelling material throughout and for fans of Kai his continued explorations are another interesting enough reason to give XUL1 a try. 6/10

Sandhills EP - Toro Y Moi

After more than a decade of Toro Y Moi making chillwave adjacent music that, while often pretty good, would never be described as raw, he's pivoting. This new EP is five folk-inspired acoustic songs about his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. While some people reading that who have been to Columbia may be thinking, why? I don't have that answer, clearly something about the place speaks to Chaz. You can tell just how nostalgic it all is from the moment the EP begins with references to the things that still look the same from his youth. The whole opener Back Then which is about a summer spent in SC features both his trademark sweet vocals and catchy refrains. Even in this stripped-back demeanor, there is something so wavy and even still psychedelic about the music here that I love. That gentle psychedelic malaise continues on the wonderful track The View. While the song is admittedly a bit defensive of a particular way of doing things on the lyrical front, it's easily the best sonic experience on the album. The slide guitars and sea of plucked strings all build together perfectly and make for a memorable final minute in particular. 

The breakout track from the project is Sandhills which tells the funny story of Chaz's dissolution with football in favor of making music. It's a very funny song full of details that I'm sure a lot of people who grew up in small towns might relate to. My only issue with the track is how slowly some of the refrains unfold despite the instrumental not exactly crawling. It makes for some awkward space, particularly on the verses. That narrative-heavy songwriting follows on the title-track Sandhills as well and while I find the imagery a bit less funny and compelling I think it's a much better song. 

I like this project. While it may sound pretty mundane for those that frequent the worlds of singer-songwriter music, there's an admitted novelty of seeing Toro Y Moi take on the style. I also just find his storytelling somewhat captivating and his boyish charm translates perfectly despite the change in sound. Nothing about this is reinventing the wheel but I think it's a worthy listen with an accompanying film that got to me more than I expected it to. 7/10

Blue Moon EP - Coi Leray

I've stood up for Coi Leray in the past. Last year I covered her debut album Trendsetter which took a bit of a beating despite being a solid effort. She certainly had more to offer than a lot of her male hip-hop contemporaries who are worshipped by the genres overwhelmingly male fanbase. While I didn't get the chance to cover her new album yet, it was also alright despite being a step back from her debut. That's why I'm not sure what happened on this EP. 

Coi has never really wanted to stay in one lane. Just like on previous projects, this EP bounces between pop rap, dancy flavors, and even some more conventional hip-hop styles. But on this project, she seems to struggle no matter what she tries. While lyrics have never been her strong point, she is at an all-time low here. There's at least one straight-up Gunna-level trash bar on pretty much every song here. I guess that could be something I'm willing to overlook if the songs were there, but they aren't. Opening track Liquor And Weed is a total non-song that presents a series of attempts to get personal on some of Coi's vulnerabilities but ends up completely ruining it lyrically. If the constant and completely unnecessary references to designer fashion brands weren't enough, she ruins it for good when she compares herself to Courage The Cowardly Dog. That failure to be earnest also translates onto Still Dreaming which feels too dumb and petty to be taken as seriously as its intended.  I can't decide which quality of Isabel Marant is worse the vocal inflections that sound like Melanie Martinez at her most infantile or the weird vocalizations used to fill space. 

I think the closest thing the EP has to a highlight is Wicked Butterflies. It has a pretty charming chorus that pairs really well with her girlish demeanor and the flows throughout are actually pretty consistent. It's also the only point on the album where the fashion bars don't feel like completely unnecessary filler. I just do not understand what happened on this EP. Not only are these some of Coi's worst songs yet but they mark her getting worse in nearly every capacity. Hopefully, these are just throwaway tracks from the last album and maybe on her next project we can get back closer to Coi at her peak potential. But I can't think of many reasons to revisit this EP beyond one decent song. 3/10