Last week Melbourne-based neo-soul quartet Hiatus Kaiyote kicked off their North America summer tour, in addition to dropping “Cinnamon Temple,” their fifth and final single from their upcoming fourth LP, Love Heart Cheat Code. The album drops this Friday, June 28th, courtesy of Brainfeeder Records/Ninja Tune, and this Saturday, June 29th, Hiatus Kaiyote will be headlining our very own Franklin Music Hall, their biggest show in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection to date.
Guitarist/vocalist Nai Palm says of the band’s latest single, “It’s called ‘Cinnamon Temple’ because in Mali they have these mud brick mosques that look like they have cinnamon stuck in them. And because it was inspired by a Malian rhythm, there’s that element to it,” while keyboardist Simon Mavin adds, “That kind of energy was coming out of Hiatus pre-covid, where we were getting into heavier riffs—not ‘metal,’ but just heavier.” Although Love Heart Cheat Code is giving the song its first proper release, Hiatus Kaiyote have actually been incorporating the song into their live shows since 2015, including their last stop in town, at Union Transfer in August of 2022.
Hiatus Kaiyote bassist Paul Bender — in an August 2022 chat, in which we discuss his recent solo debut; Hiatus Kaiyote’s third LP, Mood Valiant; and the band’s biggest live production yet — tells me, “Every record we’ve done has been a labor of love that takes quite a bit of work and intention and back-and-forth to make every song feel like it’s really evoking the right universe and the right feeling that you’re aiming for.” The universe of Love Heart Cheat Code (which began with a painting by Sri Lanken-born, Toronto-based multimedia artist Rajni Perera, which provides the album’s artwork) is that of a supermarket where the band itself are employees, creating and marketing its products, in addition to filling the shelves and cleaning the aisles, a commentary on art as a product to be consumed by the modern world, but also the ability to find beauty and value within each individual product (or song) itself.
There are still tickets ($39.50/$45 DOS) for Hiatus Kaiyote this Saturday, June 29th, at Franklin Music Hall. Click the link below to get yours and click the link in the paragraph above to read my 2022 chat with Paul Bender. While you’re at it, have a listen to the official recording of “Cinnamon Temple” and Love Heart Cheat Code’s title track and watch the band’s official commercial for the grand opening of their fictional grocery store.
*Get your tickets here.
