Mood Valiant

Mood Valiant is the third studio album by Australian neo-soul quartet Hiatus Kaiyote, released in 2021 on Brainfeeder.^[3] The album peaked at number 4 on the ARIA charts.^[4]

Mood Valiant
Studio album by Hiatus Kaiyote
Released	25 June 2021 (2021-06-25)[1]
Recorded	2020–2021
Genre	Neo soul alternative R&B
Length	42:40
Label	Brainfeeder[2]
Producer	Arthur Verocai
Hiatus Kaiyote chronology
Choose Your Weapon (2015) Mood Valiant (2021) Love Heart Cheat Code (2024)

At the 2021 ARIA Music Awards, the album was nominated for Best Soul/R&B Release.^[5]

At the 2021 Music Victoria Awards, the album was nominated for Best Victorian Album.^[6]

At the AIR Awards of 2022, the album won Best Independent Jazz Album or EP.^[7][8]

Mood Valiant was nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.^[9]

Background

Singer/guitarist Nai Palm revealed on 18 October 2018 that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.^[10] She composed many of the songs that would later appear on Mood Valiant during the period of her treatment and noted how her diagnoses changed her perspective on life, a theme explored on the album.^[11]

The title of the album was inspired by Nai Palm's mother, who owned two Valiant Safari station wagons, one white and one black, and would drive whichever would suit her mood for the day.^[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.8/10[13]
Metacritic	84/100[14]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[15]
Beats Per Minute	79/100[16]
Clash	8/10[17]
Gigwise	[18]
NME	[19]
The Observer	[20]
Pitchfork	7.3/10[21]
PopMatters	9/10[22]
Rolling Stone	[23]

Mood Valiant received critical acclaim, with critics praising their emotional richness, arrangement, effortless melodies, soulful vocals, and liveliness. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84 based on 7 sources, indicating "universal acclaim".^[14]

Pitchfork reviewer Aldan Jackson felt that Mood Valiant was "the first Hiatus Kaiyote album that doesn’t sound like merely a recorded live set" and "their best album yet".^[21] Tyler Jenke of Rolling Stone described the album as containing "hypnotic, almost kaleidoscopic compositions".^[23] Rebecca Sibley of Clash said that the album is "a strong follow-up to Choose Your Weapon and a perfect soundtrack for the summer" with its "rich, colourful soundscapes, tropical atmosphere, and lead singer Nai Palm’s soulful voice".^[17]

Awards and nominations

Mood Valiant awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2021	ARIA Music Awards	Best Soul/R&B Release	Nominated	[5]

Track listing

Mood Valiant track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Flight of the Tiger Lily"	0:35
2.	"Sip into Something Soft"	1:42
3.	"Chivalry Is Not Dead"	3:26
4.	"And We Go Gentle"	3:23
5.	"Get Sun" (feat. Arthur Verocai)	5:37
6.	"All the Words We Don't Say"	5:06
7.	"Hush Rattle"	0:41
8.	"Rose Water"	3:59
9.	"Red Room"	3:52
10.	"Sparkle Tape Break Up"	5:15
11.	"Stone or Lavender"	5:29
12.	"Blood and Marrow"	3:29
Total length:		42:40

All lyrics are written by Nai Palm; all music is composed by Nai Palm, Paul Bender, Perrin Moss, Simon Mavin

Japanese edition (bonus track)^[24]

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Stone and Lavender" (Duet Version)

Personnel

• Nai Palm – guitar, vocals
• Paul Bender – bass
• Simon Mavin – keyboards
• Perrin Moss – drums

Charts

Chart performance for Mood Valiant

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[4]	4
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25]	30
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26]	82
UK Albums (OCC)[27]	54
US Billboard 200[28]	103
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[29]	9
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[30]	1
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[31]	15
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[32]	8

References

1. "Mood Valiant by Hiatus Kaiyote". Apple Music. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
2. Yoo, Noah (16 March 2021). "Hiatus Kaiyote Announce New Album Mood Valiant, Share New Song "Get Sun"". Pitchfork.
3. "Mood Valiant, by Hiatus Kaiyote". Bandcamp.
4. "Australiancharts.com – Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
5. Kelly, Vivienne (20 October 2021). "ARIA Awards nominees revealed: Amy Shark & Genesis Owusu lead the charge". The Music Network. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
6. "Music Victoria Awards Reveals Line-up And Nominees for 2021". Noise11. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
7. "Nominees Announced For AIR Independent Music Awards 2022". musicfeeds. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
8. Tyler Jenke (5 August 2022). "Genesis Owusu Wins Big At The 2022 AIR Awards". MusicFeeds. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
9. "2022 Grammy Awards: The full list of nominees and winners". NPR. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
10. Yoo, Noah (18 October 2018). "Hiatus Kaiyote's Nai Palm Diagnosed With Breast Cancer". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
11. Moore, Marcus J. (27 June 2021). "Hiatus Kaiyote's Life-Affirming, Genre-Defying Cosmic Soul". The New York Times.
12. "Hiatus Kaiyote's Nai Palm: 'Last year I lost a breast and then my bird. But loss isn't new to me'". the Guardian. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
13. "Mood Valiant by Hiatus Kaiyote reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
14. "Mood Valiant by Hiatus Kaiyote Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
15. Kellman, Andy. "Mood Valiant - Hiatus Kaiyote | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
16. Sentz, Tim (25 June 2021). "Album Review: Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
17. Sibley, Rebecca (23 June 2021). "Hiatus Kaiyote - Mood Valiant". Clash. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
18. Leitch, Martin (5 July 2021). "Vinyl Revue: Hiatus Kaiyote - Mood Valiant (Brainfeeder)". Gigwise. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
19. Wehner, Cyclone (25 June 2021). "Hiatus Kaiyote – 'Mood Valiant' review: their most focused album with more classic songs than epic jams". NME. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
20. Morris, Damien (17 June 2021). "Hiatus Kaiyote: Mood Valiant review – their most coherent work yet". The Observer. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
21. Jackson, Adlan (28 June 2021). "Hiatus Kaiyote: Mood Valiant Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
22. Morgan, Tom (21 June 2021). "Hiatus Kaiyote's 'Mood Valiant' is a Rich and Vibrant Return". PopMatters. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
23. Jenke, Tyler (4 July 2021). "Hiatus Kaiyote's 'Mood Valiant' Showcases Strength and Power". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
24. "BEATINK.COM Mood Valiant". Beatink.com. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
25. "Offiziellecharts.de – Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
26. "Swisscharts.com – Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
27. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
28. "Hiatus Kaiyote Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
29. "Hiatus Kaiyote Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
30. "Hiatus Kaiyote Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
31. "Hiatus Kaiyote Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
32. "Hiatus Kaiyote Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 October 2021.