Former Canadian turned Los Angeleno, Mocky has given the groove to his Northern brethren like Jamie Lidell and Feist. He was also an early collaborator with Kelela on her Cut 4 Me mixtape and co-writer on Moses Sumney’s “Scratch The Surface”. A track in the hands of Mocky can amalgamate nearly any genre into a winsome pop head trip. There is living jazz in Mocky. There is possibly too much music living in him, to a point that he has little place to store it all. Perhaps this speaks to the nature of the Moxtape series.
The Moxtape series launched with 2013’s Graveyard Novelas, since then it has existed as an expression of Mocky’s seemingly limitless songwriting ability. The baggage that comes with calling a release a mixtape, the notion that these are demos or ill-fit for proper release, is almost a disservice to each edition—chiefly, Living Time (Vol.II)‘s haunting evening episodes. But, Mocky soldiers on in the series with Vol.III and the video for “Put It Away”.
Directed by Rand Sevilla, “Put It Away” bounces with a warmth reminiscent of Hot Chocolate’s disco r&b, while the drippy, pitch-shifted vocals express a psychedelic sixth sense for achieving inner peace. Sevilla’s visuals breathe with Mocky’s production as a yellow rectangle locks into the infectious bass and oohs rain down to wash away the worries. So much seems so simple on “Put It Away” and by the time Mocky arrives at the Parliament-esque breakdown, troubles feel like part of a past life.
The Moxtape Vol.III is out now on Mocky’s Bandcamp and iTunes.
