just in time for valentine’s day, the tontons’ record ‘make out king and other stories of love’ is full of steamy hooks & dreamy psychedelia. #soundcheck

Whether you view Valentine’s Day as a corporate ploy to make us buy conflict minerals and unsustainably produced overpriced chocolates by preying on our emotional anxiety, or you view it as all of that and also an opportunity to celebrate the people we care about anyway despite the cultural baggage, there’s one thing we should all be able to agree on: the new Tontons record Make Out King and Other Stories of Love is smooth as hell.

By Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK Contributor

On their latest record, The Tontons focus their dreamy psychedelic soul on the bedroom. Streaming in times for Valentine’s Day, and available for purchase next week, it’s an 11 track ode to the ups and downs of love. Singer Asli Omar’s voice positively melts in your ears on tracks like the tight “Veida” and “Magic Hour.” Brothers Adam and Jusin Martinez (guitar and drums), and bassist Tom Nguyen are masters at balancing atmospheric play and driving indie rock. The band includes “Bones 1” and “Bones 2” from last year’s 7” in slightly tweaked arrangements, both of which are a welcome addition here. “Bones 1” in particular continues to be one of the record’s highlights.

The album closes out with the haunting acoustic ballad “Ruins.” “You’re a scar / I need you to know” Asli sings over mournful finger picked guitar. It’s a perfect bittersweet ending that captures everything that makes The Tontons great.

Stream the full album here.