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The cynics out there could regard Chaz Bundick (better known as Toro y Moi) as attempting to capitalise on the present popularity of all things house with his new LP Michael, the first to be released under his Les Sins moniker. However the new record has been two years in the making and Anything in Return, his last full-length album, gave clear hints as to what direction he might progress in; this album saw him experimenting with dance music more than he ever had before and thus his latest work feels like a logical progression.

Michael sees Bundick at his most playful: the album eschews attempts to explore any concrete themes or ideas, and instead feels more like a series of musical sketches, as he explores a variety of genres, circling through house, hip hop and funk. All ties to chillwave, the genre Bundick is most readily associated with, have been severed. While claims in the press release that the album is inspired by cartoon and movie soundtracks are evident in the trove of vintage sounds heard throughout the record, the album also finds company beside contemporary producers such as Four Tet and Caribou — Les Sins had released two 12”s on the latter’s Jiaolong label prior to Michael, which comes out as the inaugural record on new label Company.

Album opener Talk About is a classically-styled house tune, a clear statement of intent on the part of Bundick. He then moves through the wryly jazzy Past and intelligent hip-hop workout Toy before coming to the double whammy of Why and Bother. Why is a glorious piece of sunny funk with vocals from Californian singer-songwriter Nate Salman. Bother is the perfect anthem for a productive reading week with its catchy refrain, “Don’t bother me, I’m working”. Other highlights from the album are the brilliantly expansive Minato and the 90s-indebted Call, rolling along as it does upon a volley of rave synths.

Bundick has claimed that, above all else, his biggest influence in making the record was the work of American graphic design icon Paul Rand, who is cited as having always said, “Don’t try to be original, just try to be good”. As Les Sins Bundick doesn’t seek to innovate or be original, rather he presents an album of cleanly produced dance music that feels inherently timeless, mining the twentieth century for sounds and acting as a celebration of modern dance music.