By JOSEPH VITALE

ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR

Underneath Toro y Moi’s attempt to evoke nostalgia for sincere pop is a bold effort disguised as light funk, with an omnipresent dance influence throughout. On his third LP, Toro’s knack for layering synth beats on top of his high pitched voice (on top of some more synth beats) persists on almost every track of the album. While most develop fully as single tracks, the end result often turns out sounding messy and clunky, which puts Anything In Return at a distance from his sophomore LP, Underneath the Pine a far more graceful approach to his developing sound. Toro’s voice, which for most tracks seems to be nestled cozily within blankets of instrumentation, sings lyrics that dance around the subject of young love with an undertone of both ambivalence and passivity. Its light pop sound and approach, however, does not equate to Anything in Return being anything short of cool or hip. The album is filled with some catchy samples that are played over and over on tracks such as “Rose Quartz” and “Say That,” making them easy to move and groove to. Toro’s fast-paced melodic grooves, however, will keep your head banging at a much more reserved tempo compared to anything that today’s heroes of the dance are dropping. The enthusiasm, however, comes with equal appreciation.  With a few listens, maybe as background music in a dorm or as filler for a once-lonely subway ride, Anything In Return will undoubtedly remind you of how gratifying it is to get lost in the psychedelic undertow of the now-receding chill wave.