Chazwick Bear is a sonic chameleon, switching between genres and then switching between subgenres within that genre. He has made groovy house records under the name Les Sins and collaborated with The Mattson 2 on a hypnotic jazz fusion LP. Most famously, he is known as Toro Y Moi, a producer/singer/songwriter who, over the past 14 years, has built an all-encompassing discography that includes excursions into indie rock and risky voyages into modern hip-hop. Toro Y Moi translates to I am Toro, meaning we are all a part of this creative entity that Chaz Bear has created.
Toro Y Moi debuted in 2010 with his hypnotic album Causers of This. This project introduced us to Bear’s unique approach to electronic music. It’s spacey and off-kilter, but the charm of this album comes from his vocals. Though they are seldom, songs like “Talamak” are the highlights. We saw him dive into his songwriting and a new sound two albums later on 2012’s June 2009. This compilation album features Toro indulging more in live instrumentation and finding his authentic voice as a songwriter. The craziest part is these songs were recorded before Causers of This, only further proving how far ahead Toro Y Moi thinks when writing and recording his songs.
Toro Y Moi’s career is full of surprising sonic changes, so many that finding a place to start can be tricky. Glide studied the winding road of his discography and ranked his best works, including his side projects and now his most recent release, 2024’s Hol Erth with an updated list from our 2022 list.
10. Michael (As Les Sins) 2014
On Michael, Toro Y Moi dives headfirst into his electronic roots. This primarily instrumental project proves just how diverse a producer he is. Fun dance tracks like “Bother” somehow seem right at home next to more off-kilter tracks like “Call.”
Best Songs: “Bother,” “Drop.”
9. Causers Of This – 2010
While this project holds up on its own, it quickly became a footnote as Toro Y Moi’s approach to music began to encompass more of his influences. Another mostly instrumental project, there are great grooves led by catchy bass lines. In songs like “Thanks Vision” and others, the feature vocals would become a blueprint for Toro’s later projects.
Best Songs: “Talamak,” “Minors,” “Low Shoulders”
Star Stuff (with The Mattson 2, as Chaz Bundick Meets the Mattson 2) 2017
Star Stuff is Toro Y Moi’s venture into a full-blown jazz album. With backing from The Mattson 2, they formed a trio that can transcend what is known of the genre. There isn’t much to say about this project besides that it is a stepping stone for Toro Y Moi’s creative process and is beautifully executed.
Best Songs: “Steve Pink,” “JBS”
7. Hole Erth – 2024
Released in 2024
There would be no need for this list if it weren’t for Bear’s restless experimentation, and on his freshest release, that experimentation pulls him towards the conventional. Hole Erth sees an artist pulling from the mainstream and filtering tropes from modern Hip-hop and R&B and filtering them through his psychedelic lens. While Bear’s auto-tune-drenched take on nimble hip-hop-infused pop may be a shocking turn for fans of his previous release, the psych-rock of 2022’s MAHAL, Bear was able to capture the nuances of the modern scene and deconstruct them into a familiar yet colorful portrait of an artist unwilling to repeat themselves.
Best Songs: “Walking In the Rain,” “Undercurrent,” and “Smoke”
6. Underneath The Pine 2011
Only one year after his debut as Toro Y Moi, Bear is beginning to experiment a little. This project has more vocals than its predecessor, and songs like “Before I’m Done” have Toro going into full singer/songwriter mode. There are terrific moments of songwriting here that will evolve as he continues to explore this part of his creative process on future projects.
Best Songs: “Before I’m Done,” “Good Hold,” and “Divina”
5. Outer Peace -2019
This bouncy and fun project finds Toro returning to his electronic roots but mixing them with his seasoned songwriting. It also feels like his most autobiographical project to date. Songs like “Freelance” or “Ordinary Pleasures” detail Bear’s daily thoughts. This project feels like we’re conversing with Bear outside of a too-crowded nightclub.
Best Songs: “New House,” “Baby Drive it Down,” and “50-50”
4. What For? -2015
This is Bear’s full-blown rock star moment. With terrific guitar riffs and drums coming in at all the correct times, this album can stand up against any rock album from that year. It’s a cheery album filled with fantastic instrumentation and songwriting. We hear the influences of June 2009 coming to the forefront for the first time in his discography.
Best Song(s): “Buffalo,” “Ratcliff,” and “Empty Nesters”
3. Boo Boo –2017
Boo Boo might feature some of Bear’s best songwriting. Here, we have tracks like “No Show,” which brings out everyone’s introverted side, and “W.I.W.W.W.W.,” which makes us question our surroundings. While this project has moments of autobiographical songwriting like Outer Peace, the instrumentals seem to fit better with his lyrics on Boo Boo.
Best Songs: “No Show,” “Mona Lisa,” and “Mirage”
2. Mahal -2022
This album feels like Bear’s most significant album yet. His first project released through the Dead Oceans label, Mahal feels like a grab bag of Bear’s influences from What For and Underneath The Pine but more mature and reformed. This project has more featured artists than his past projects, joined by Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Sofie Royer.
Best Songs: “The Loop,” “Last Year,” and “Postman”
1. Anything In Return – 2013
This project feels like Toro Y Moi at its peak. Here, Bear is mixing his influences like never before. Elements of electronic music are weaved together with live piano chords for a unique concoction that is fully Toro Y Moi. Songs like “Studies” and “Grown Up Calls” are perfect Toro Y Moi songs. His songwriting fits perfectly with the sonics on here; his lyrics are simple when they need to be, and whenever he feels like it, Bear can add a layer of personality to his songwriting that ties each song together beautifully.
Best Songs: “Rose Quartz,” “Grown Up Calls,” and “Cake”
