Hiatus Kaiyote has released another “blue single” titled “Telescope,” offering a tantalizing glimpse of their upcoming album, “Love Heart Cheat Code,” set to drop in less than a month. Previous tracks from this album have been reviewed here on MusicTalkers.

“Telescope” features lyrics rich with references to astronomy and physics, with a special emphasis on the star cluster Abell 2744, with repeated mentions in the song's chorus.

Personally, I love diving into song titles and lyrics to draw parallels and see how topics and concepts shape musical form. While researching Abell 2744, I found that beyond uninteresting information (At least to non-astronomy aficionados as me) as its gas density and potential number of celestial bodies, this area is often referred to as “Pandora's Cluster.” Although it’s unclear if this is the intended reference, the song’s repeated line, “These are the things that the heaven sees,” coupled with its title and the complex polyphonic texture and odd rhythm, it suggests to me a focus on the “Pandora” effect rather than actual astronomy. The sense of wonder, amazement, and expectation is expertly conveyed, much like a Pandora’s box, hinting that this is just the beginning of an unstoppable huge constellation coming in the form of a full-length album in sight through the “Telescope.”

This song, like the previous “blue singles,” doesn’t break new grounds or offer a fresh perspective of the group´s sound, it maintains the distinctive Hiatus Kaiyote sound we’ve come to love since “Choose Your Weapon.” However, It continues to captivate their existing audience (myself included) and promises to enchant new listeners with the same level of fascination and discovery we experienced when we first encountered “Choose Your Weapon.”

“Telescope” is perfect for those who appreciate high-quality music rooted in gospel, soul, jazz, R&B, and what might be termed “gentrified” música negra. As we await “Love Heart Cheat Code,” this release keeps us eagerly anticipating what Hiatus Kaiyote will unveil next.

Author: Martín Cacho

Martín is a video game composer, producer and writer from Sonora, México.