Today: Mar 29, 2024

100 gecs releases new album: Review

Ali Fernand Features Editor 

100 gecs just released their highly anticipated new album “10,000 gecs.” I was one of the people looking forward to what the group had coming next. The group consists of Laura Les and Dylan Brady, both eccentric personalities. Their sound is unconventional, with jarring sound effects and noise all around. This genre of music is called “hyperpop” which has gained traction within the past few years. 100 gecs were most definitely a huge part in the genre gaining popularity.  

Their first album came out in 2019 called “1000 gecs.” This album blew my mind with what music could be. Many people feel that pop is a boring genre, but this took a completely new spin on what the genre could be. It was different, and that was very exciting to see. After that album gained its own cult status, they released a remix album which contained features from popular artists. People like Charli XCX, Fall Out Boy, and Rico Nasty were all ready to hop onto this sound. 

This new album takes a different twist than I wasn’t expecting. The songs that I enjoyed most on their first album leaned into the electronic influence. “Ringtone” is still one of my favorites by them from their first album, I may even like the remix of it better. The first album also took influence from punk and ska, but it was still dominated by the highly processed electronics. This album still contains a lot of electronics. The first single released was “mememe” which I immediately loved. It was everything I liked about their first releases. It has a fun synth melody with a satisfying chorus which escalates to include guitars and other loud rock elements. 

This album definitely has more rock influence. The second single released was called “Doritos & Fritos” which is full of bass guitar and the now familiar jarring sound effects. I really liked this single when it came out. It felt like something different for them, but still fits the unique sound I’ve grown to love. A lot of people I talked to didn’t like this song very much, but I always found myself defending it. The songs on this album sound more like this song than “mememe.” However, it sometimes doesn’t include many electronics at all. Another moment on this album that leans into the electronics is “757.” I love this song; it is everything I love about hyperpop. Overwhelming fast electronics with fun vocals that probably could not be replicated live.  

I feel conflicted about this new album. I want to give it more time because I originally didn’t like the first album either. The thing with hyperpop is that it sounds crazy until it starts sounding good. Maybe I need to sit on this one and listen to it back when I’m not trying to be critical of it. I just don’t like their sound as much when it leans into the ska influence. Ska rock has just never been a genre of music I have been very into, I even find it a bit annoying. I like it when it is mixed with other genres like 100 gecs has done in the past. However, there are a few songs on here that are just pure ska like “I Got My Tooth Removed.”  

Some of the songs sound like they’re pulling straight from the early 2000’s. “Dumbest Girl Alive” has a guitar riff that sounds pulled straight from a Papa Roach song. Though to their credit, this song is nowhere near as corny as a Papa Roach song. “Hollywood Baby” also sounds like a direct inspiration from a “Blink-182” song, another band that I find annoying.  

I never want an artist to be discouraged from trying a new sound. I’m happy that 100 gecs leaned into a different part of their inspiration. This album doesn’t feel new though. A lot of these songs could have been pulled straight from the “Warped Tour” days. I’m not a huge fan of this album, but I am excited to see what else this group might do in the future. 

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