1000 gecs
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = 1000 gecs
| type = studio
| artist = 100 gecs
| cover = 1000 gec album.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2019|05|31}}
| recorded = 2018–2019
| studio =
| genre =
| length = 23:07
| label = Dog Show
| producer =
| prev_title = 100 gecs
| prev_year = 2016
| next_title = 1000 gecs and the Tree of Clues
| next_year = 2020
| misc = {{Singles
| name = 1000 gecs
| type = studio
| single1 = Money Machine
| single1date = May 29, 2019
}}
}}
1000 gecs is the debut studio album by American hyperpop duo 100 gecs, released on May 31, 2019, through Dog Show Records. It was preceded by the release of lead single "Money Machine" two days earlier.
Featuring an experimental sound that combined several genres, 1000 gecs was well received by critics. It placed on several publications' lists of the best albums of 2019. Remixed and reworked versions of songs from 1000 gecs were later released as part of the follow-up remix album 1000 gecs and the Tree of Clues (2020).{{Cite web|date=2020-07-10|title=100 Gecs: "People think we've staked our entire career on being ironic"|url=https://www.nme.com/music-interviews/100-gecs-interview-1000-gecs-and-the-tree-of-clues-charli-xcx-pc-music-minecraft-2705405|access-date=2020-07-13|website=NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs {{!}} NME.COM|language=en-GB|archive-date=2020-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902130149/https://www.nme.com/music-interviews/100-gecs-interview-1000-gecs-and-the-tree-of-clues-charli-xcx-pc-music-minecraft-2705405|url-status=live}}
Background and release
Dylan Brady and Laura Les first met in 2012.{{Cite web |title=The brilliant pop anarchy of 100 gecs |url=https://www.thefader.com/2019/09/04/100-gecs-1000-gecs-interview |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=The Fader |language=en |archive-date=2019-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914164724/https://www.thefader.com/2019/09/04/100-gecs-1000-gecs-interview |url-status=live }} They started making music together in the winter of 2015, when Brady met Les in Chicago. There, they officially formed 100 gecs and worked on their eponymous EP,{{Cite web |last=Hyun Kim |first=Michelle |date=2020-01-16 |title=Meet 100 gecs, the Absurdist Pop Duo Inspired By Everything on the Internet |url=https://www.them.us/story/100-gecs-interview-dylan-brady-laura-les |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=Them |language=en-US |archive-date=2020-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806114545/https://www.them.us/story/100-gecs-interview-dylan-brady-laura-les |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Enis |first=Eli |title=The batshit album that explains how 2019 feels |url=https://theoutline.com/post/7884/100-gecs-interview-post-internet |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=The Outline |language=en |archive-date=2020-03-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330113730/https://theoutline.com/post/7884/100-gecs-interview-post-internet |url-status=live }} released the next year.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-15 |title=100 gecs: "We started out doing the goofiest shit… and we're still just two friends having fun" |url=https://www.kerrang.com/100-gecs-laura-les-dylan-brady-10000-gecs-album-hyperpop-mememe-interview-cover-story/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=Kerrang! |language=en |archive-date=2023-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930133346/https://www.kerrang.com/100-gecs-laura-les-dylan-brady-10000-gecs-album-hyperpop-mememe-interview-cover-story |url-status=live }} For a time, they both continued to work on their solo releases while also producing for others. In January 2019, they were invited to collaborate on a shared performance at the second edition of the Minecraft Fire Festival, a virtual music festival where Minecraft users gather on a specific server to experience live DJ performances. Brady and Les created several new songs for this set, and the enjoyable experience prompted them to intermittently collaborate throughout the year, eventually accumulating enough material for what later became 1000 gecs. With Brady being in Los Angeles and Les in Chicago, they stated that around 80 percent of the album was done via email, with them sending Logic Pro X files between them. Due to this production method, they were called an extremely online act.{{Cite web |last=Pappademas |first=Alex |date=2020-06-01 |title=Into the Void with 100 Gecs |url=https://www.gq.com/story/gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=GQ |language=en-US |archive-date=2020-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820110542/https://www.gq.com/story/gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs |url-status=live }} According to Brady, they "didn't really talk about what [they] wanted to do"; they would just send files between them, with Brady and Les adding a new element every time. The work on vocals and production was split evenly between the two.
Brady and Les are against labeling the album with a genre as, according to Brady, 1000 gecs is similar to a compilation album: "We're both just fans of music, so that's just what we put on it". Both cited YouTube, Cannibal Corpse, John Zorn and "nightcore as a concept" as some of their strongest influences. In another interview, Brady mentioned that he enjoyed ska and dubstep and cited influences such as Duck Duck Goose, Soulja Boy, Devil Wears Prada, Chiodos, and Paramore. Les recorded her vocals in her closet. Her vocals are exclusively pitched-up, "nightcore style", due to her gender dysphoria, since she couldn't listen to her own voice.
The song "Money Machine" was released as a single from the album on May 29, 2019,{{Cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/money-machine-single/1465335497|title=money machine - Single by 100 gecs|website=Music.apple.com|accessdate=15 August 2019|archive-date=12 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812160040/https://music.apple.com/us/album/money-machine-single/1465335497|url-status=live}} with a visualizer for the song posted to YouTube.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MyCfLnf5Hs|title=100 gecs - money machine (VISUALIZER)|date=28 May 2019 |publisher=YouTube|accessdate=15 August 2019|archive-date=12 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812165252/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MyCfLnf5Hs|url-status=live}} The song quickly became the duo's most successful and well known song to date, and on June 13, 2019, an official music video for the song was released.{{Cite web|url=https://www.elevatormag.com/100-gecs-bring-their-track-money-machine-to-life-in-a-new-video/|title=100 Gecs bring their track "money machine" to life in a new video|website=Elevatormag.com|date=June 17, 2019|access-date=August 12, 2019|archive-date=August 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812055429/https://www.elevatormag.com/100-gecs-bring-their-track-money-machine-to-life-in-a-new-video/|url-status=live}} In June 2019, the band released official merchandise for the album on the Dog Show Records website.{{Cite web|url=https://dogshowrecords.com/|title=1000gecs - Dogshow Records|website=Dogshowrecords.com|accessdate=15 August 2019|archive-date=31 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731222329/https://dogshowrecords.com/|url-status=live}} An official music video for the song "800dB Cloud" was released on July 25, 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2019/07/25/100-gecs-800db-cloud-video|title=Watch 100 gecs' unnervingly voyeuristic "800db cloud" video|website=Thefader.com|accessdate=15 August 2019|archive-date=1 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801015754/https://www.thefader.com/2019/07/25/100-gecs-800db-cloud-video|url-status=live}} Over a year later, an official music video for "Hand Crushed by a Mallet" was released on October 9, 2020.
In August 2019, 100 Gecs released the album's instrumentals, stems, and a cappella vocals for free download.{{cite web |title=Flex Your Producer Skills With This Pack Of Stems From LA Avant-Pop Group 100 gecs |url=https://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/100-gecs-stems-free/ |website=Electronic Beats |accessdate=4 September 2019 |date=August 30, 2019 |archive-date=4 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904021141/https://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/100-gecs-stems-free/ |url-status=live }}
Composition
1000 gecs is a genre-hopping album, generally described by Pitchfork as experimental pop and by Sputnik as bubblegum bass. According to Will Pritchard of The Independent, the album helped to consolidate the eclectic 2010s "hyperpop" style by taking the genre "to its most extreme, and extremely catchy, conclusions: stadium-sized trap beats processed and distorted to near-destruction, overwrought emo vocals and cascades of ravey arpeggios."{{cite web |last1=Pritchard |first1=Will |title=Hyperpop or overhyped? The rise of 2020's most maximal sound |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/hyperpop-genre-2020-charli-xcx-rina-sawayama-b1775025.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/hyperpop-genre-2020-charli-xcx-rina-sawayama-b1775025.html |archive-date=2022-05-01 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |website=The Independent |date=17 December 2020 |access-date=13 February 2021}}{{cbignore}} Some genres used to describe certain songs or parts of the album include post-dubstep,{{Cite web|url=https://kvrx.org/reviews/100-gecs-1000-gecs/|title=REVIEW: 100 gecs - 1000 gecs|website=Kvrx.org|accessdate=15 July 2020|archive-date=16 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716022410/https://kvrx.org/reviews/100-gecs-1000-gecs/|url-status=live}} indie pop, pop punk, trance, chiptune, happy hardcore, hip hop, synth-pop, ska, and Europop. The song "xXXi_wud_nvrstøp_ÜXXx" contains an interpolation of "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" by Soulja Boy. The tree featured in the cover art has since become a pilgrimage destination for 100 gecs fans.{{cite web |last1=Sturm |first1=Verity |title=A Hyperpop Pilgrimage: This tree in Des Plaines is a 'very spiritual experience' for 100 gecs fans |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2431731979/C69D761003CA4F9CPQ/ |website=Chicago Tribune |date=August 10, 2020 |access-date=July 17, 2023 |archive-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727012704/https://www.proquest.com/docview/2431731979/C69D761003CA4F9CPQ |url-status=live }}
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|last=Thomas|first=Fred|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/1000-gecs-mw0003309658|title=1000 Gecs - 100 gecs {{!}} Songs, Reviews Credits|work=AllMusic|date=May 31, 2019|accessdate=February 6, 2022|archive-date=February 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206152125/https://www.allmusic.com/album/1000-gecs-mw0003309658|url-status=live}}
| rev2 = Paste
| rev2score = 7.9/10{{cite web|last=Bote|first=Joshua|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/100-gecs/no-album-left-behind-100-gecs-1000-gecs/|title=No Album Left Behind: 100 gecs' 1000 gecs|work=Paste|date=December 13, 2019|accessdate=July 10, 2020|archive-date=July 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711093354/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/100-gecs/no-album-left-behind-100-gecs-1000-gecs/|url-status=live}}
| rev3 = Pitchfork
| rev3score = 7.4/10{{cite web|last=Fitzmaurice|first=Larry|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/100-gecs-1000-gecs/|title=100 gecs: 1000 gecs|work=Pitchfork|date=July 27, 2019|accessdate=July 27, 2019|archive-date=July 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730035926/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/100-gecs-1000-gecs/|url-status=live}}
| rev4 = Sputnikmusic
| rev5 = Consumer Guide
}}
1000 Gecs received generally positive reviews from critics. Larry Fitzmaurice of Pitchfork gave the album a rating of 7.4 out of 10, calling it "one of the year's most fascinating, exhilarating experimental pop albums". Similarly, Fred Thomas at AllMusic described it as being "jittery, ridiculous, and perpetually short-circuiting" but also "a fine-tuned and controlled pop product."
In December 2019, New York Times music critics Jon Caramanica and Jon Pareles rated 1000 Gecs #1 and #10 respectively in their "Best Albums of 2019" article.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/arts/music/best-albums.html|title=Best Albums of 2019|last1=Pareles|first1=Jon|date=2019-12-05|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-12-11|last2=Caramanica|first2=Jon|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=2020-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101021644/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/arts/music/best-albums.html|url-status=live}} 1000 gecs is considered the first mainstream hyperpop album,{{Cite web |date=2023-04-04 |title='All journalists like Lana Del Rey': 100 gecs on fame and their divisive new album |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/100-gecs-interview-laura-les-dylan-brady-b2313246.html |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=2024-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126021043/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/100-gecs-interview-laura-les-dylan-brady-b2313246.html |url-status=live }} being responsible for the genre's popularity.{{Cite web |last=Ross |first=Alex Robert |date=2023-03-17 |title=100 gecs, seriously |url=https://www.thefader.com/2023/03/17/100-gecs-seriously |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=The Fader |language=en |archive-date=2024-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224115418/https://www.thefader.com/2023/03/17/100-gecs-seriously |url-status=live }}
= Accolades =
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Dylan Brady and Laura Les
| total_length = 23:07
| title_width = 100
| title1 = 745 Sticky
| length1 = 2:21
| title2 = Money Machine
| length2 = 1:54
| title3 = 800db Cloud
| length3 = 2:20
| title4 = I Need Help Immediately
| length4 = 1:22
| title5 = Stupid Horse
| length5 = 2:02
| title6 = xXXi_wud_nvrstøp_üXXx
| length6 = 2:55
| title7 = Ringtone
| length7 = 2:24
| title8 = GecGecGec
| length8 = 2:24
| title9 = Hand Crushed by a Mallet
| length9 = 2:07
| title10 = Gec 2 Ü
| length10 = 3:18
}}
Personnel
100 Gecs
Artwork
- Gabe Howell – photography
- Nic John – photography
- Mira Joyce – graphic design
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2019–20)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"| US Top Current Albums (Billboard){{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/100-gecs/chart-history/tcl/|title=Trixie Mattel Chart History: Top Current Albums|magazine=Billboard|language=en|accessdate=September 5, 2020|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114100451/https://www.billboard.com/music/100-gecs/chart-history/TCL|url-status=live}}
| 94 |
| {{album chart|BillboardHeatseekers|7|artist=100 gecs|accessdate=September 5, 2020|rowheader=true}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardIndependent|36|artist=100 gecs|accessdate=September 5, 2020|rowheader=true}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://1000stems.com/ 1000 gecs a cappellas, instrumentals, and stems]
{{100 Gecs}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Albums produced by 100 Gecs
Category:Experimental pop albums