By hmcclure | August 16th, 2012
Melbourne’s Hiatus Kaiyote make music from the future, but luckily we can listen to it right now! The four-piece have become experts at combining elements of neo-soul, hip hop and beats to create adventurous soundscapes that have received accolades within Australia and abroad. Since forming last year, they’ve performed at the Woodford Folk Festival and the Melbourne International Jazz Festival.
Their debut album, Tawk Tomahawk, came out in April, and has already started burning a hole in my headphones since I recently came across it. The track “Malika” immediately caught my attention. It’s a perfect balance between soulful relaxation and experimental confrontation, with singer/songwriter Nai Palm’s drifting yet powerful vocals heavily exaggerated. You can tell from listening that this is a band completely in control of their creativity and style, with the other members possessing some impressive resumes.
This is a seriously talented group, one that will hopefully keep producing fantastic music well into the future. They’ve already sold out 400+ shows in their home town, so surely their star will continue to rise. You can check out Tawk Tomahawk on Bandcamp.