Even though the debut LP by Chaz Bundick's Toro Y Moi, Causers of This, maximized the zoned-out vibes, there were traces of dance signifiers worming their way out of the music, itching to be sped up and broadcast as something bigger and bolder. That's exactly what happens on Bundick's solo side project, Les Sins. His first outing under the name, Lina, is a 12" double-sided single that sounds like Toro Y Moi on club DJ duty, grafting Italo disco, house, and retrofitted roller boogie elements into his already pop-edified palette. The resulting nine minutes of music explore Bundick's dance-friendly impulses in ways both enjoyable and grating.
A-side "Lina" is the real keeper. Bundick establishes a steady groove with a female vocal hook, funked-out bass, and string loops. It's propulsive and clean, even when Bundick starts to deconstruct and chop away at all the details. The first minute or so feels rarefied-- fans of Daft Punk and Avalanches will easily find something to latch onto-- it seems a little pointless to just drop everything into the Cuisinart. But since Bundick is able to shape and re-wrap these elements back into the groove so precisely, all the refitting feels ambitious. "Lina" shimmers on the surface and pulsates steadily underneath, making it a perfect fit for some cavernous warehouse space that's packed with bodies and hasn't been hit with a noise violation yet.
"Youth Gone" is very much the leftfield, exploratory B-side, and despite featuring a similar level of energy, it lacks "Lina"'s warm, delirious throb. In fact, it's actually a little irritating. A too-short, horn-guided sample leads the first half of the track, imparting a nauseating feeling that awkwardly amplifies some of the skittery leanings of Toro Y Moi proper. Labored and repetitive, "Youth Gone" never eases up, even when a more concrete two-step beat is laid down. As a whole, Lina kind of knocks the wind out of you, in ways that feel both pleasurable and disorienting. Still, Les Sins is just the kind of thing you'd want to hear on the side from someone like Bundick-- a brief, intriguing flight of fancy.
