Masked by a silly and chaotic outer layer, Missouri’s 100 gecs are actually one of the sharpest projects around right now. The duo, made up of Laura Les and Dylan Brady, take hyperpop to its most maximalist form, pushing both ‘hyper’ and ‘pop’ to breaking point, creating emo-rave-distorted-beats with choruses ready for a stadium (times a million). Their 2019 debut ‘1000 gecs’ saw critical acclaim, an album which flowed at breakneck speed, introducing the world to the true extent of gecs’ madness. Now, nearly four years later, the duo has returned with their long-awaited follow up, the sophomore LP ‘10,000 gecs’.
Opening an album with the THX opening sounds is inarguably genius, yet also puzzling because why hasn’t it been done before…? Follow that with some chunky metalcore riffs and overblown drums, and you essentially have the bread and butter of 100 gecs; pure insanity, undeniably fun and some truly quite genius production. Opener ‘Dumbest girl alive’ ticks all of these boxes, two-and-a-half minutes of bedlam, 100 gecs’ love for the past audible with its dubstep breaks and emo riffs. ‘10,000 gecs’ has its roots more in metalcore, emo and pop punk, blending the noughties aesthetics with their signature, and pioneering, brand of crushing hyperpop. That said, the duo dabbles in ska on the ridiculously infectious and fun ‘I got my tooth removed’. They are a duo without constraints, never once have they been boxed in and it’s hard to think that’ll ever happen. ‘Billy knows jamie’ has a nu-metal spine, oozing with Limp Bizkit sensibilities – but obviously culminates in a blown-out breakdown, distortion truly peaking every meter on the mixing desk.
On this sophomore record 100 gecs find the perfect middle ground between live and electronic, the blend between live instrumentation and heavily processed synths tasteful and curated, executed exceptionally well. Closer ‘Mememe’ is the shiny example of this, but every track on this album has been treated by some impeccable sound design and engineering.
Laura Les and Dylan Brady are here to have fun. And while doing so, they deliver some of the most interesting and enjoyable hyperpop production around, and some of the most hilarious and bizarre lyricism pop music have, and will ever, see. ‘10,000 gecs’ is a sub-thirty-minute blast of the duo at their best, creating some truly bonkers music and refusing to ever conform.
8/10
Words: James Mellen
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