Hiatus Kaiyote

Hiatus Kaiyote fuse R&B, jazz, and hip-hop through elaborate, forward-leaning arrangements. Distinctive raspy yet elegant vocals from Nai Palm, a lyricist whose imagery draws from animated fantasy films and the natural world, further distinguish the Australian quartet’s left-field approach as she channels an expansive emotional range through inventive metaphors. Their opening pair of LPs, Tawk Tomahawk (2012) and Choose Your Weapon (2015), each contain a Grammy-nominated track—“Nakamarra” and “Breathing Underwater,” respectively—while the second album also earned an ARIA nomination for Best Urban Album. Following scattered side endeavors, the group reassembled for Mood Valiant (2021) on Brainfeeder; the release reached number four at home and received a Best Progressive R&B Album nod at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2024 they issued the variably raucous and lysergic Love Heart Cheat Code.

Assembled in Melbourne during 2011, the lineup comprises singer/songwriter and guitarist Nai Palm, bassist Paul Bender, drummer Perrin Moss (aka Clever Austin), and keyboardist Simon Mavin (also of the PutBacks). The quartet self-issued the concise debut Tawk Tomahawk in 2012, slowly attracting attention from influential DJs and peers that included Gilles Peterson, Questlove, and Erykah Badu. They later aligned with Salaam Remi’s Sony-distributed Flying Buddha imprint in the United States, which prompted a re-release of Tawk Tomahawk expanded by a bonus version of “Nakamarra” featuring a guest verse from Q-Tip; the cut secured Hiatus Kaiyote’s initial Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance. Late 2014 brought a three-song preview of their follow-up, fronted by the disorienting “By Fire,” which drew partial inspiration from the house-fire death of Palm’s father. The full-length Choose Your Weapon arrived in 2015, peaked at number 22 on the ARIA chart, and opened at number 11 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally in the U.S.; “Breathing Underwater” contended for that year’s Best R&B Performance Grammy, and the album itself earned another ARIA nomination for Best Urban Album.

In subsequent years the band supplied additional material such as the Recalibrations, Vol. 1 EP and appeared collectively on Robert Glasper’s Everything’s Beautiful, Shafiq Husayn’s The Loop, and Cornelius’ Ripple Waves, yet devoted greater energy to assorted side projects, solo releases, and production duties. Palm issued her debut solo album Needle Paw; Moss concentrated on his Clever Austin persona; Bender and Mavin performed as two-thirds of the Sweet Enoughs; Moss, Bender, and Mavin also created a mixtape as Swooping and joined house producer Theo Parrish for the 12" single “What You Gonna Ask For.” Near the close of 2020, HK shared a rendition of “Christmas Time Is Here,” then returned more formally in early 2021 on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label with “Get Sun,” a collaboration with Brazilian arranger Arthur Verocai. The third album, Mood Valiant, surfaced that June; largely composed while Palm underwent treatment for breast cancer, it debuted at number four in Australia and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album.

In the interval before their fourth album, Bender and Mavin each put out solo work, Moss recorded with Barney McAll and Laneous, and Palm appeared on Ngaiire’s “Dirty Hercules.” The group resurfaced at the start of 2024 with “Everything’s Beautiful” and followed with further previews of their second Brainfeeder project. Love Heart Cheat Code arrived in June 2024, incorporating a turbulent reinterpretation of Jefferson Airplane’s acid-rock staple “White Rabbit” and the frenetic “Cinnamon Temple,” a longtime concert favorite among fans.