By Kyle Walker
Staff Writer
After several delays, the electronic rock and hyperpop duo 100 gecs has finally released their sophomore album, “10,000 gecs.” This album is quite short, only running at around 27 minutes.
The group released the album on March 17, though this was not the original plan. In July 2021, they had announced on social media that a new album was coming in “early 2022,” along with a tour to support it.
Even without a new album to support, the group still toured… a lot.
They supported many shows for bands such as Nine Inch Nails and My Chemical Romance, and played around 80 shows throughout their “10,000 Gecs Tour'' (2021–2022). Through these shows, they premiered plenty of material from the new album though it wasn’t out yet. It seems like they aren’t tired of touring yet either because they are preparing for a tour this summer called “10,000 Gecs Tour 2.”
So now that the wait is over… was it worth it?
The album opens with “Dumbest Girl Alive.” The song begins quite theatrically with a familiar synthesized crescendo. Ah yes, the THX “Deep Note.” It then abruptly pauses this sound with gunshot effects which begins a post-hardcore style riff. All in the first 20 seconds of the song. This song perfectly sets the scene for the album, and it becomes very evident that 100 gecs is still very strange and chaotic, and I mean that in a good way.
The album progresses with “757,” a highly infectious track that carries a vibe that is very much like their first album. It very well could have been on that album. The incorporation of Star Wars' blaster sound and Wilhelm scream in the song further adds to its appeal.
“Hollywood Baby” is one of my favorite tracks from this record. This was the final single released before the album dropped. This song is fantastic and is very reminiscent of late ’90s alternative music. The chorus and the distorted guitar riffs are super catchy, and ultimately make the track shine.
These tracks are perfect examples of what makes a great hyperpop track. They are all super high-energy, full of electroacoustic production, and over auto tuned vocals.
“I Got My Tooth Removed” is easily one of the most unhinged tracks I have heard in my life. It begins with a slow, lightly instrumented, emo ballad and quickly switches to a ska chorus about getting a tooth removed and not wanting to talk about it. I had a whiplash reaction when I first heard it, as I was taken aback by this track's sudden shift. However, its complete absurdity and lack of seriousness made me appreciate this album even more.
Oddly enough that song isn’t the only one to evoke such a reaction from me. “One Million Dollars” features a chaotic instrumental with several different text-to-speech voices repeating “one million dollars” over and over, including the female TikTok text-to-speech voice which caught me off guard.
This album is a quick listen, and honestly, the band is able to effectively convey plenty of energy and strange ideas within such a short amount of time. As I somewhat mentioned earlier, I believe music doesn’t have to be serious to be great, and I think that’s what this album proves. 100 gecs has been very consistent with doing whatever they want and honestly, I am living for it.
I will definitely be keeping them in my radar, and I can’t wait to see what they do in the future.
B+: There can never be enough gecs.