Haitus Kaiyote’s Everything’s Beautiful: An Australian Jazz and Funk Influenced Improv Jam

There is a lot going on in Haitus Kaiyote’s new track Everything’s Beautiful and all of it is fun. The last time we heard from the Australian band was with their jazzy free form record Mood Valiant in 2021. Their new work keeps the same jazz improv vibe, but their sound is more filled out with some funk bass and excellent backing vocals. Let’s get into it.

The latest track from the band has a lot happening musically. It is a witch’s brew of improv jazz, funk, India Arie, Erykah Badu and a dash of Sadé…maybe even sprinkle some Arrested Development into the brew. As you can see, there are a lot of influences and musical touch points with this band. Musically, this track has jazz guitar, flute (André 3000 would approve), percussion, synth and probably three other instruments I forgot to add. All of them have to work around vocals, but still have to sound organic and work together. The fact that everything works and has a place is astonishing. There is a tendency with less talented bands to have everything compete with each other and have no singular vision.

Lyrically, this song does not do a ton for me. Basically, we are looking at a song about celebrating life and noticing all the beauty in everyday life. Good theme…she is listening to her headphones and finding freedom in the sun…great. However, like all jazz the vocal is yet another instrument. Where this song excels is in the vibe. It’s how her smooth, yet powerful, vocal plays with the amazing backing artists and highlights the other instruments in the mix. Lead vocalist Nai Palm has great range and power that really touches you and wraps you in her musical spell. I love the vocals on this record more than past Haitus Kaiyote projects.

For me, there is a definite Erykah Badu influence on this record. The way the vocals work with the rest of the arrangement to make a jazzy funk mix is right out of Mama’s Gun, so if you like Erykah Badu, like I do, you will love this record. Moreover, I think their sound is evolving and the band is getting more complex and musically interesting. All and all, this is a great record that deserves a listen.

Listen to Everything’s Beautiful