This feature is derived from KNKX's Tree of Jazz, taking you through the eras, from the roots to the new budding leaves, with a weekly deep dive into iconic artists, albums, and instruments.
For more than a decade, Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote has recorded music that defies labels as quickly as you can think of them. Their new album Love Heart Cheat Code switches styles and moods with ease. It is a window into their artistic inspirations and their vast musical DNA.
The 11-song album is sonic candy and Hiatus Kaiyote sounds as original and unexpected as ever. A mix of glorious vocal harmonies, lush chords, sweet mantras, a groovy rhythm section, and biting guitar riffs span the whole record. There's a sludgy dream-state version of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” a cameo from a singing cartoon robot named BMO, and a nod to the meme ‘long cat’ on the album too. It's delightfully all over the place.
The title track "Love Heart Cheat Code" encapsulates many of the sounds that appear throughout the album. The song builds from woozy guitars and dreamy vocals into a mind-bending freakout.
Hiatus Kaiyote bassist Paul Bender recently spoke with KNKX about the band's jazz inspiration and the new album, see the highlights below.
Interview Highlights
On all the difference ways a song can come together.
“Sometimes the jam thing, sometimes they're very fleshed out songs that Nai writes on guitar. Sometimes they just start from one little piece of audio," Bender said. “There's no tried and true Hiatus Kaiyote formula.”
Some of the album's sweetest moments come from the tracks "Make Friends" and "Everything's Beautiful." Both uplifting grooves that have with joyous observations of brought to life with incredible vocal riff's from Nai Palm. On "Make Friends" she sings: "You don't make friends, you recognize them."
Bender said that particular track was started by keys player Simon Mavin.
"As soon as he bought it to us. It was just like, there's really good energy about it," he said. "So it sort of made sense what Nai wrote to it was about a really positive concept of just, you know, friendship and finding those people in your life who reveal themselves to you."
On the band's comparisons to jazz.
Bender said they are inspired and have a great love for the music but they don't fit the mold.
"In my mind, it's like a process of creating music. And I know as someone who studied and played jazz, I'm very aware that we're not actually... that's not actually our process,' Bender explained.
On a favorite Herbie Hancock track.
His pick: "Hidden Shadows" from the album Sextant in 1973. Bender enjoys the futuristic cosmic sounds from the Hancock's Mwandishi era.
"When I heard this album, it kind of blew my mind. I feel like that period; Mwandishi to Crossing to Sextant is maybe kind of an underappreciated era of his career, in terms of the approach, especially Crossings, Sextant getting into abstract synthesis sort of stuff, as well as being cosmic and psychedelic," Bender said.
This story comes from the July 14th, 2024 episode of the Tree of Jazz. Listen to the past two weeks of Tree of Jazz On-Demand. Hear deep dives like this each week on the Tree of Jazz, on air and online every Sunday from 3-6 p.m. PT.
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