10,000 gecs - 'Internet Age' The Album

Published 04/01/2023 - Reid Kyle

100 gecs packs nostalgia into their genre-blending sophomore LP, existing as a hyper-pop time capsule for the early 21st century.

For as long as I can remember, “back in my day” and “kids these days” discussion points have been as ever-present as taxes, oxygen, and Toronto Maple Leafs' postseason disappointments. Comparing one’s generation to another is a universal coping mechanism used to compensate for lost time and the fading memories of youth. No matter your generation, you have, or at one point, will turn your nose up to a member of a generation who will return the favour. Luckily (or unluckily) the cultural and societal borders separating generational groups have been largely dissolved, thanks to the globally accessible and incorporated world wide web. Music-wise, the internet has given listeners infinite access to their favourite genres, artists, and albums, resulting in a golden age for music nerd types to shove as many sound waves into their ears as possible. Beyond increased access, the internet has led to the accelerated evolution of contemporary music genres and the creation of brand-new genres altogether.

Aged 29 and 28 respectively, millennial Missourians Dylan Brady and Laura Les of 100 gecs have grown up alongside the internet. On their sophomore LP 10,000 gecs, the duo embraces the underbelly of the mid-2000s pop music scene and blends it with the over-the-top hyper pop stylings of their debut. The result of this clash is a hilariously joyful and raucous 26 minutes featuring ska, nu-metal, punk, and other variants of hardcore and pop genres.

When pressing play on the opening track ‘Dumbest Girl Alive’, the listener is welcomed back to early 2000s nostalgia with the iconic THX bass tone. Seemingly sucking the audience back to a comfortable view of their VHS built-in childhood tv set, the moment is shattered by blaring guitar chords accompanied by aggressively mixed drum and bass. The heavy, ‘in your face’ instrumentation alongside its self-deprecating and often absurdist lyrical content sets the tone for the rest of the album. The next track ‘757’ is a more familiar 100 gecs hyper pop number which sticks to what the group did so well on their debut LP. It acts as a glitchy bridge between the opening and third song ‘Hollywood Baby’, whose whiny chorus croons remind one of 2000s pop punk balladry. The pounding riffs are incredibly catchy and aggressive alongside the autotuned chorus vocals, accomplishing Simple Plan-esque musical melodrama without the eye-rolling that typically follows.

The album continues with ‘Frog on The Floor’, quite literally a song about a frog that has appeared on the floor during a house party. Featuring a kids-bop instrumental and frog ribbit sound effects you might expect from a group like Ween, the track reminds the listener not to take anything 100 gecs does too seriously, especially considering Les’ frequent laughing while delivering the second verse of the track.

A final relaxed breakdown sonically resets the auditory pallet of the album before picking up steam again with the alt-rock anthem ‘Doritos and Fritos’. A wicked slap bass line carries this rhythmic groover, which features a guitar solo and even group chant chorus vocals celebrating the corn-starch heavy snack foods that have spread throughout the earth like a virus. This dichotomy between cherishing the conveniences gained through the Americanization of the world while understanding their negative side effects is woven into much of the thematic content of this project.

No song better exemplifies the negativities of Americanization than ‘Billy Knows Jamie’, a nu-metal rocker depicting a school shooting. While I never thought I would enjoy Limp Biscuit worship in 2023, the style perfectly encapsulates the uncontainable rage and anger released by someone willing to commit such an atrocity. After the full-blown hardcore noise breakdown at the song’s finale, the nods to pop culture continues with the TikTok text-to-speech follow-up.

The weakest track on the album, ‘One Million Dollars’ doesn’t overstay its welcome as a quick 2 min meditation on the repeated phrase of its title, featuring some record scratching and glitch elements in the outro. What follows is sound effects infused hip-hop/rock fusion where 100 gecs embrace their anarchist persona. Between the record scratches, occasional ‘BOING!’ sound and Scary Movie dialogue inserts, a chilled-out braggadocios groove guides us to the dentist's office for the ninth track of the album. Initially appearing as a love-sick ballad describing a person deemed to be an “ass-hole”, the true nature of the song explodes into a ska-revival anthem celebrating the removal of this asshole, a decaying tooth. Oddly straightforward and catchy, the group use “I Got My Tooth Removed” to subvert expectations once again, comically portraying a painful experience with the playful energy of your weed-smoking uncle’s favourite musical stylings.

To wrap up the project, 100 gecs belt out the hyper-popified alt-rock anthem “mememe”. The song sees Laura and Dylan reminding fans that even with their artist/consumer relationship, the two sides will never really know one another. With its own 3OH!3 stylized obnoxious earworm chorus, the closing track ends an explosive project with one final detonation.

The 10 songs on this polished album are gunpowder-soaked capsules of mutated nostalgia, each with their own capture of life in the internet age. Although emanating bands like Simple Plan, Limp Biscuit and 3OH!3 may not be conventional in the pursuit of forward-thinking artistry, 10,000 gecs hits that sweet spot between deep-fried top-text bottom text memes and genre-hopping bangers; time and time again.