100 gecs – “Snake Eyes” review

St. Louis, Missouri hyperpop duo 100 gecs signing to Atlantic Records for their 2nd EP. Consisting of singer/songwriters & producers Dylan Brady & Laura Les, they got together in 2015 after meeting at a high school rodeo & dropped an eponymous extended play the following year to moderate reception. Their debut 1,000 gecs under Dog Show Records polarized the musical spectrum with some calling it unlistenable & others like me who appreciate it for playfully demonstrating their creativity, coming back 3 & a half years later to roll Snake Eyes.

“Hey Big Man” sets it all off with a rap rock intro reminiscent of the Beastie Boys’ full-length debut Licensed to Ill where both of them are trading bars with each other for only a couple of brief verses while the only single “Torture Me” co-produced by Skrillex fuses hyperpop, digicore hybrid trap, future bass, bubblegum bass & future riddim so Laura can repeatedly talk about an psychotic ex of hers that wants to torture her. “Runaway” finishes off by combining the hyperpop sound they’ve popularized & elements of alt-rock describing each of their desires to escape their previous lives.

If Snake Eyes proves anything, it’s that the next 100 gecs album could easily be the most accessible thing they’ve ever done & that wouldn’t necessarily surprise me now they’re on a major label. That being said: Snake Eyes feels more like a prelude to 10,000 gecs than a continuation of their previous full-length. Dylan & Laura’s hyperpop production carries over the digicore elements of the gecs’ previous output, except they’re emphasizing their alternative/rap rock influences a bit & I can see that working out in the long run if they take those styles further.

Score: 3.5/5

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