Hiatus Kaiyote: Mood Valiant (deluxe edition, glow in the dark vinyl) [BRAINFEEDER]

Why you'll love it

This deluxe edition glows in the dark and comes with an alternate cover, an 8-page booklet of lyrics and photos, six Polaroid prints and a scratch-and-sniff sticker sheet. Mood Valiant was nominated for the Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album and peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA chart.

This edition

• Deluxe edition
• Glow in the dark vinyl
• Alternate cover
• Gatefold jacket
• 8-page booklet with lyrics and photos
• Six Polaroid prints
• Scratch-and-sniff sticker sheet
• Download card included
• Pressed in the EU

About the album

Nai Palm's mother owned two Valiant Safari station wagons, one white and one black, and drove whichever suited her mood that day. Her daughter borrowed the idea for the title of Hiatus Kaiyote's third album, which is about as charming an origin story as a record gets. The Melbourne quartet produced it themselves, recording around Melbourne, up in Byron Bay and as far afield as Rio de Janeiro.

Nai Palm wrote many of these songs after her breast cancer diagnosis in 2018, and she has said it changed how she saw things; that shift runs through the whole record, warm and wide awake. Her voice and guitar lead, with Paul Bender on bass, Simon Mavin on keys and Perrin Moss on drums, and the Brazilian arranger Arthur Verocai joins the party. "Red Room" floats, "Chivalry Is Not Dead" twists and turns, and "Get Sun," "Sip Into Something Soft" and "And We Go Gentle" show how much colour four players can wring from a groove.

Pitchfork called it the first Hiatus Kaiyote album that doesn't sound like a recorded live set, and their best yet. The parrot heard on the opening track is Nai's own, named Charlie Parker, which makes him the best-qualified bird in jazz.

Also at Kops: more Hiatus Kaiyote on vinyl · browse Hip Hop / R&B

Tracklist

Listen

On Brainfeeder (cat# BF112X), the 2021 album.