100 gecs, 10,000 gecs | Album Review 💿

Adventurous alternative production duo 100 gecs returns with a brief but incredibly entertaining and potent sophomore album, 10,000 gecs.

How many gecs? Well, 🎙 100 gecs when it comes to the talented production duo. 100 gecs –  🎙 Laura Les and 🎙 Dylan Brady – earned high praise for their 2019 debut album, 💿 1000 gecs.  Now, nearly four years later, signed to a major label, Les and Brady return with 💿 10,000 gecs.  A brief album comprised of just 10 tracks running 27 minutes long, 100 gecs make every second of 10,000 gecs worth it. Eclectic would definitely be an understatement when characterizing this adventurous duo who never fail to compel at any point on 10,000 gecs.

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“Dumbest Girl Alive”

100 gecs kicks off 10,000 gecs with a surefire bang on 🤩 🎵 “Dumbest Girl Alive”. Laura Les handles vocal duties on ambitious, guitar-driven joint. Before she sings, or that distorted guitar riff enters, the listener hears the famous film sound sample, 🎵 “Deep Note” (🎙 James A. Moorer).  The sample, as well as the rock-oriented riff sets the tone for “Dumbest Girl Alive.” Lyrically, Les sings about all the reasons why she’s the dumbest girl alive over the course of one verse: “If you think I’m stupid now, you should see me when I’m high / And I’m smarter thank I look, I’m the dumbest girl alive.” It’s a rousing way to commence 10,000 gecs.

“Seven-fifty-seven / Yeah, I’ll never go to heaven / I’ve been smokin’ since eleven / Told the devil he’s a lemon.” Like “Dumbest Girl Alive,” 🤩 🎵 “757” keeps the duration brief, clocking in just north of two minutes. The production by Les and Dylan Brady remains picturesque – very much in the vein of hyperpop.  The beat hits hard, the synths are exuberant and dizzying, and an air of the Avant Garde is alive and well. Dylan Brady handles the early vocals here, though his vocals are dramatically altered via effects. The big takeaway is how sinful and rebellious he’s been.  Les also gets into the action: “We don’t smoke trees, we smoke tree-sized dicks.” Damn! Keeping things interesting there is a production switch on the outro, which references Colorado, McDonalds, and shit smells 🤘.

The punk energy is alive and well on 🎵 “Hollywood Baby”, which features heavy rock drums and robust, filthy sounding guitars that hit you right in the chest.  Dylan Brady delivers an incredibly catchy chorus, singing, “I’m going crazy / Little tiny Hollywood baby / Brand new Mercedes / I’ve been at the crib going crazy.” Even though the positives of success has afforded Laura Les and Brady ample luxury, the pressure of fame and Hollywood itself extremely stressful.  Les sings, “Do you buckle under pressure? / Go tumbling, tumbling, tumbling down,” presumably referencing the duo’s sophomore album.  Given the excellence of “Hollywood Baby,” the third straight consistent song from 10,000 gecs, 100 gecs have nothing to fear.

“Frog On The Floor”

“Frog on the floor / Where’d he come from? / Nobody knows / Where he’ll go.” Ribbit, ribbit 🐸! 🎵 “Frog On The Floor” is an incredibly random song title. Furthermore, it is an utterly absurd song! It fits the left-of-center nature of 100 gecs perfectly. Both Dylan and Laura sing here, with Laura asserting in the second verse, “Hey, yeah I heard you met my friend the other weekend / I heard that he was telling croaks at the party.” Say what 🤦‍♂️? Interestingly, 100 gecs emphasizing humane treatment of the amphibian (“Cause he was chasin’ flies around / And he was stuffing them in his mouth / Give him some space, he’s still workin’ it out”).  Likely, 100 gecs have a bigger picture in mind than a song about a frog… maybe…

After singing about a frog, 100 gecs moves on to “chips on tv and weird dreams” on 🤩 🎵 “Doritos & Fritos”.  Laura Les delivers no shortage of eyebrow raising lyrics, including “It’s hot as deez, it’s 100 degrees.”  Maybe most interesting is the reference to an 🎙 MF Doom lyric, as well as single cover art that seems inspired by the late rapper’s mask.  Like all the other songs on 10,000 gecs, the production and sound of the record is a mega selling point.  The bass line is robust, the guitars ripe, and the groove utterly electrifying.  There is a kick ass guitar solo in the mix that is must-hear 🤘. The pre-chorus and chorus are epic, singing of tuned cable and of course, those “Doritos and Fritos,” Woo!

“Billy knows Jamie, Jamie got a gun / Jamie gonna kill me, think I need to run.” 🤩 🎵 “Billy Knows Jamie” keeps the energy of 10,000 gecs on the up and up.  The style blends metal, rock, and rap, sort of settling in on a nu metal aesthetic.  The guitar riffs are lit, the groove hits hard, and overall, “Billy Knows Jamie” feels heavy and in your face.  Still, beyond the boisterous, chanted vocals, there are also moments where 100 gecs whisper instead, providing a unique contrast.  Of course, given the duo’s pop culture savvy, you can’t fail to mention the reference to an Aerosmith classic.

“One Million Dollars”

🎵 “One Million Dollars” is all over the place.  We wouldn’t have it any other way! The main lyrics of this brief number are just what the title states: “One Million Dollars.” Keeping things captivating despite the repetition is the busy, noisy backdrop. It hits something fierce.  Keeping 10,000 gecs going strong is 🤩 🎵 “The Most Wanted Person In The United States” which continues to benefit from top-notch production. Much chiller than “One Million Dollars” that precedes, “The Most Want Person In The United States” still possesses a cool, potent energy.  Dylan Brady thrives in the chorus, arguably the catchiest of the LP (“I turned on the news, and it said that I was / The number one most wanted person in the United States”).  Brady doesn’t get all the love, of course. Laura Les is fierce in the first verse, boldly proclaiming, “Everybody shuts the fuck up when I’m passing / You can see me on the fuckin’ news, and / I’m laughing” and, “Queen of California, hot like the heat is / Got Anthony Kiedis sucking on my penis.” Day-um!

The penultimate cut, 🤩 🎵 “I Got My Tooth Removed” easily ranks among the best.  It’s as outlandish as everything else that graces 10,000 gecs, beginning as a ballad. Soon enough, “I Got My Tooth Removed” turns into this cartoonish, utterly absurd record. “I got my tooth removed / And I don’t wanna talk about it,” Brady sings in the chorus. Of course, in the verses, the listener learns more about the offensive tooth. “You were man / Such an asshole,” Brady sings in the first verse, adding, “So I had to say goodbye.” Later, Laura Les sings, “My cheek swelled up twice its size / And I started attracting flies / And playing operation with a safety pin, I start to cry.” Of course, ultimately, we know what happens: “I got my tooth removed!”

“And you will never really know, know-know-know, know-know-know / Anything about me, me-me-me, me-me-me…” The exuberant single, 🤩 🎵 “mememe” concludes the short by sweet 10,000 gecs.  Like the preceding 10 songs, it checks off all boxes: superb production, an entertaining vocal performance by Brady and Les, and fun songwriting. The production is heavy-handed with big guitars, drums, and some glitchy synths.  Thematically, “mememe” encompasses not being fully heard as well as being true to self, something Laura Les seems to key in on especially as a trans person.

Final Thoughts 💭

All in all, 100 gecs bring the heat on their sophomore album, 💿 10,000 gecs.  There are no misses to be found, even if 🎵 “Frog On The Floor” is something else 🐸! What makes this duo special is their willingness to experiment, not to mention bring a dash of outlandishness to their lyrics. Both Dylan and Laura deliver great vocals, whether pitched and full of effects or not.  If you need something truly colorful and left of center to enhance your playlist, look no further than 10,000 gecs.

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🤩 Gems 💎: “Dumbest Girl Alive,” “757,” “Doritos & Fritos,” “Billy Knows Jamie,” “The Most Wanted Person In The United States,” “I Got My Tooth Removed” & “mememe” 

🎙 100 gecs • 💿 10,000 gecs • 🏷 Dog Show / Atlantic • 🗓 3.17.23

[📷: Dog Show / Atlantic]