Hiatus Kaiyote break their three-year absence with the release of their fourth studio album Love Heart Cheat Code. Frontwoman Nai Palm credits the album title to her belief that moving through the world with love is the ultimate cheat code to life. Three years ago they released the Grammy-nominated Mood Valiant which earned them an AIR Award in their Australian home. The band’s musical syncretism of R&B and jazz led by Palm’s soulful and very elastic vocalisms addresses different kinds of love in 11 songs. The daring but still close to the tradition of R&B sound that got them co-signed by Prince has matured and even expanded. “Make Love’s” swanky and funk-fortified meditation on authentic friendships is the crux of their eclectic vibe. They give birth to psychedelic dreams on the acidic “Cinnamon Temple” and get tribalistic for “White Rabbit.” The title track shows respect for the power of love when Palm says, “Love fragile like a flower, fragile like a bomb” and the last minutes spazz out into fiery dissonance. Love Heart Cheat Code keeps the torch burning for the essence of soul and R&B while grasping the spirit of innovation.
