Invigorating Austin electronic artist Tocaio continues his evolution away from his Tapes identity with Yesca, a blissed out and refreshing EP collecting four original tracks and two remixes by Limalo and PVLMS.
Beginning with the ambient and spacey “Lightworker,” Yesca proves itself to be more disciplined than the abstract excursions that marked the Tapes era. The EP’s title track best showcases the young electronic artist’s abilities, weaving together the Books-influenced wooden percussion tones of Tocaio’s previous work and the buzzier synth drone that has been seeping into the background of the newer work with a delicate touch. “Zuma Beach” even shows off an indie pop side to Tocaio’s production, with its well-balanced acoustic drum samples and synth hooks that STRFCKR would covet.
The remixes also add new depth to Tocaio’s aesthetic personality, previewing different routes Tocaio could potentially explore. Limalo gives the guitar heavy sketch “Overlook” an Anticon makeover, the drums taking on the character of Andrew Bird collaborator dosh amidst of vibrant keys and arpeggiated synth leads. PVLMS go in a clubbier direction, keeping the beat firmly four to the floor and bumping the bass up to the forefront of the mix on their reworking of the title track; think of it as Passion Pit and Baths getting stuck in a teleporter together.
Yesca comes in advance of Tocaio’s debut full-length, Pointillism, which is due out early next year via Punctum Records. In January, Tocaio will be unveiling a video to promote the release followed by an east coast tour in the spring expanding on his touring from earlier this year. Until then, enjoy Yesca!