A great band is a group of musicians who share one nervous system. It’s an alchemy that goes beyond hours of practice and years spent together. It’s about sensing as much it is playing, anticipating without being warned, knowing without being told. To hear and see a great band at work is to witness a miracle. Hiatus Kaiyote would never make such a claim about themselves. So let us make it: On their fourth album, Love Heart Cheat Code (Brainfeeder Records/Ninja Tune), you get to hear one of the greatest bands in the world, working one miracle after another.
The chemistry has been strong since their first jam session in 2011, in the living room of a Melbourne, Australia “share house.” Guitarist-vocalist Naomi “Nai Palm” Saalfield, bassist Paul Bender, keyboardist Simon Mavin, and drummer Perrin Moss released their first album Tawk Tomahawk the following year. It became a surprise hit, garnering a Grammy nomination. It connected them to a global community of fans who saw their music as a new and thrilling blend of genres, and perhaps beyond genre—who else but Hiatus could unite an audience of both metal and neo-soul fans? Their second LP, 2015’s Choose Your Weapon, made good on that promise: skillful songwriting and daring harmony and rhythm, all powered by incomparable musicianship. Several world tours and a second Grammy nomination followed. Then came 2021’s Mood Valiant, a reflective beauty created and issued in the midst of the pandemic, and cause for yet a third Grammy nomination. In that time, Hiatus Kaiyote have graced stages from Coachella, Fuji Rock, and the Sydney Opera House to the Hollywood Bowl and Red Rocks; been sampled by hip-hop and R&B icons from Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak to Jay-Z and Beyonce; and been lauded in The New York Times and Rolling Stone. But what the years have really wrought for these four artists is a kind of precious interconnection.
“I think there’s a massive level of trust that we’ve developed over time,” Simon says. “That means we can push the music in whatever way we want, and get as creative as we want, which has been a big mind opener for me.” It’s a sentiment echoed by his partners. “The reason why I never fucking collaborate with anyone else is because I’m so spoiled,” says Nai. “I can go to any one of my bandmates, sing a melody at them, and I’ll hear what I want to do harmonically, but I have no theory for communicating that. And they’re so patient with me, and they trust in me.”
Love Heart Cheat Code is a snapshot of four musicians dancing together on the edge, 11 playful, exuberant tracks that feel light and shine light —from the opening flourish of “Dreamboat” to the closing chants of their interpretation of “White Rabbit.” As fans might expect, Love Heart Cheat Code is filled with any number of incredible performances: Bender’s bass chords on “Dimitri,” Perrin’s polyrhythmic crescendo on “Make Friends,” Simon’s galloping piano on “How to Meet Yourself,” and Nai’s guitar and vocal virtuosity throughout “Everything’s Beautiful.”
Hiatus Kaiyote
Tuesday 15th October 2024 | Doors 19:00 CET | Starts 20:00 CET
Huxleys Neue Welt | Hasenheide 107 – 113 | 10967 Berlin
