By now, you will know that we are huge fans of Toby TomTom, having featured a slew of his previous releases, including the genre bending trip and thought-provoking, Black Swan, the numerologically and universally aligned, 23, and I Need a Yoko, which was a search for radical connection. Naturally, when we heard that Toby TomTom was back with Sun is Going Down, and we had a chance to preview the track before its release on April 18th, we couldn’t wait to share our experience!
Establishing the mood with super dimensional haunting synths, syncopated drums and atmospheric, cerebral vocals, Toby TomTom opens Sun is Going Down with a sense of subversion and metaphorical prose.
The vocal design is unique with astral textures, intertwined with down pitched moments which remind us of Missy Elliott‘s Da Real World album. Then comes a switch up from industrial hip-hop and EDM to a pulsating, almost disco-adjacent beat which invites us to dance, both sonically and lyrically.
There is a sense of joy and celebration before a crashing sound takes us to a dystopian vibe before we hear a lighter spark up in the final moments of the song. The opus is a trip that fuses new age psychedelia with disco and the darker roots of hip-hop. This is really a track where Toby cements his genre expansive nature.
The lyrics feature raw and unfiltered hip-hop commentary, and the message itself tackles social division and modern anxieties. We also learn that the track’s spoken word is in fact a guest feature from actor Daniel Danielson!
Of course, Sun is Going Down was entirely composed, arranged, produced, and performed by Toby himself, which showcases his holistic artistic vision – proving that when you write and produce directly from source energy and God, the results are always tangibly authentic.
We love Toby TomTom‘s vision and will be adding Sun is Going Down to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TRIPPY playlist as soon as it drops on Friday April 18th! In the meantime, we will be immersing ourselves in Toby TomTom‘s wider sonic universe and streaming his Top Tracks!