Anything in Return

Toro y Moi - Anything in Return
Critic Score
Based on 31 reviews
2013 Ratings: #601 / 1115
User Score
Based on 282 ratings
2013 Rank: #281
Liked by 23 people
January 22, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
Carpark / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
The 405

It is this album, with the more polished production, that shows off Toro y Moi as much more than just a chillwave innovator.

80
Mixmag
Soulful, grown-up, dancey synth pop is hard to do well, but Toro Y Moi nails it.
80
AllMusic

Bundick’s genius on Anything in Return is that he blends these poppy moments into the overall fabric of the album and the whole thing holds together in a tightly wound, perfectly constructed ball of sound and songcraft. It may not be the most immediately exciting album of his career, but it is the most impressive and affecting.

80
The Guardian
So inventive and complex is the music that the lyrics – musing on love and separation, following Bundick's relocation to California – sound gauche by comparison.
80
Paste

There aren’t specific songs on Anything in Return that function as stand-out moments, as much as the whole album functions as one long moment that stands out for its post-modern, semi-nostalgic originality.

80
No Ripcord

Bundick is envisioning a world of pop without the generic connotations of pop music, and overall, it’s a refreshing listen.  

79
Pitchfork

Anything in Return has more truly great music than any Toro Y Moi album, but at 52 minutes, the overall impact gets dulled.

77
Beats Per Minute

For all of its well-intentioned flaws and near-immaculate production, this record hums with a life of its own, confident in the abilities of its creator. 

70
Drowned in Sound

The bombastic pop statements, though well handled, are just not as effortlessly great as the rest, and the endless play of boy girl lyrical scenarios does get a bit tiresome after a while. 

70
The Line of Best Fit

Anything To Return is at its best where it showcases pop music rather than making fun of it.

70
DIY

Despite being more immediate than previous work, 'Anything In Return' maintains Chaz's longevity and craftsmanship. 

70
PopMatters

Undoubtedly, Anything in Return shakes off easy definition, but all too often this is because it allows aimless beats to collide in a hazy pop patchwork, leaving something that runs high on atmospherics and low on actual substance.

60
FACT Magazine

Try as he might to evolve, reinvent or re-contextualise, Bundick merely thrashes chillwave around within its own rigidly determined parameters.

60
Consequence of Sound

While Anything in Return might be the most consistent of any of his records up to this point, it lacks the punch to break through.

60
SPIN

Return is neither a step up or down from 2010's wave-warping Causers of This or 2011's time-warping Underneath the Pine, yet it's not more of the same. 

60
Clash
Considering the genre that brought him to prominence championed lo-fi immediacy, ‘Anything To Return’ is an album which really displays Bundick’s production chops.
60
NME

‘Anything In Return’ is no disaster, but having released three solid yet unremarkable albums in as many years, the lack of any real progression or improvement is making the warning lights flash.

60
Tiny Mix Tapes

It sounds promising at first, but then it slumps into a bed of mediocrity that Toro y Moi has already proved he is more than capable of avoiding.

58
A.V. Club

Pop music is more than just dance beats and glammy electronics; it’s an attitude, and Bundick might just not have it.

50
Under the Radar

While his third effort is certainly a technically intelligent outing, fun is not high on the priority list.  

40
The Needle Drop
On this new album, Toro Y Moi is able to maintain many of the grooves that have continually made this project interesting, but the newly added vocal samples, vocal experiments, and songs don't go over well much of the time.
skeeline
95

fantano was so fucking wrong about this album, this is near perfect man, definitely one of the most underrated decade defining albums, chaz is such an underappreciated pioneer and while i respect people getting into his newer work, people really need to check out his older stuff, this is peak chillwave

1Spooked0gHosT7
86

Nothing(e)- to giveaway

archetypewriter
80

So Many Details is the best cut

Krolljr
90

A really solid indie pop / alt R&B album. The blend of innovative sampling and electronics with great grooves is just awesome on this album. I think the most standout songs for me are Say That, Rose Quartz, and Never Matter. The deeper cuts are definitely a lot more tedious on this album but still pretty decent, just compared to the outstandingly amazing high points they seem kind of rough. But overall, the high points are so high here that it sort of elevates the record as an overall ... read more

Gumball
76

Strong First Half, Weak Second Half (IMO)

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Track List

1Harm in Change
4:01
96
2Say That
4:44
92
3So Many Details
4:45
89
4Rose Quartz
4:13
90
5Touch
2:38
84
6Cola
3:33
85
7Studies
4:02
77
8High Living
4:19
79
9Grown up Calls
3:28
85
10Cake
3:53
82
11Day One
4:17
84
12Never Matter
4:17
92
13How's It Wrong
3:54
85
Total Length: 52 minutes
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Added on: October 9, 2012