"Although I didn't write this song, it spoke to me in a way that made me feel as if it was my own story,” Brandon said. “I found myself playing it over and over again in my bedroom, remembering situations that I've been through.”
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It’s a cozy basement with Warner Music-branded champagne glasses on the ground, huge rainbow wooden cutouts leaning against the wall, and an orange toy piano—you know, that one with the smiling cat face. The gecs are putting the finishing touches on their remix album 1000 gecs & The Tree of Clues, which drops on 4/20. They have recording sessions with Charli XCX and Rico Nasty later that day. When we arrive, Brady thanks me for being flexible around their packed schedule, but it’s really no inconvenience. Plus, it’s clear the duo is in incubation mode.
The record, without having listened to it yourself, is hard to describe—like much of their music. It’s “post-internet” electronic pop. It’s nightcore. It pulls heavily from the mid-2000s emo era and dubstep. It also plays off the widely popular sounds of PC Music, a futuristic pop music collective based out of London. And though inspired by the internet, 100 gecs extends far beyond it. They embody an all-around punk spirit, only further solidified by their fervent fanbase—when Brady and Les played one of their first shows together at NYU, fans were moshing so hard that the lights on the floor below were flickering and shaking. “There was, like, a study group in there, and they had to end early,” Brady tells me.
On “Money Machine,” a standout single from their debut album 1000 gecs, Laura enters with an abrasive and heady monologue: “Hey, you little piss baby / You think you’re so fucking cool, huh? / You think you’re so fucking tough?” She then proceeds to compare this person’s arms to “little cigarettes” and tells them how she’s going to ghost them after they say “I love you.” In the accompanying music video, Dylan and Laura dance in front of a GMC SUV, their mutually messy blonde hair covering their faces as they headbang and contort. Their choices are peak “random XD” yet meticulously curated, self-aware and next level. But they don’t act like it.
“It’s all very high-concept shit,” Laura says—I think she’s trolling me—referring to the video for “800db cloud.” In it, the duo slyly peeks at the camera from behind various buildings and trees in LA, like two wizards who look like they are about to give you a side quest. “I don’t know if your readers will understand the level that we’re on here. Think about it like this, okay? You see a wall, you just want to peek over it, metaphorically speaking. We just took that and made it more of a physical thing.” The gecs’ sarcastic, nonchalant approach to their work is a nice contrast to the absurdity that explodes within it.
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Tatyana and her harp have always been a package deal and for good reason—together, they are magical. Hailing from a Russian mother and an English father, classical music was the stepping stone that led to a sea of other treasurable genres. And from the moment Tayana started playing pop and jazz, little did she know that she was simultaneously unlocking the doors into a new world.
We all want to know when did you first pick up the harp? Was it love at first sight?
It was love at first sight. I’ve been playing classical piano since I was a child. When I was living in Moscow, I was in a conservatory there. I was like 10 or 11, and they offered me a second instrument—they said, "You should play something new." They offered me the choice between the flute, the harp or the trombone. When I came into the harp corridor there was this tiny girl sitting on books, big books because she couldn't reach the full harp. I saw her and thought, "Oh my god, that's amazing. I want to do that."
You’ve had the chance to call Holland, Russia, Singapore, Boston, and London your home at one point or another. What was that like?
It was crazy. It was good. I moved either house or country every four years of my life. There was a lot of change, a lot of being the new kid, and a lot of uprooting your life and starting all over again. It was kind of a blessing and a curse. Living in Singapore was really cool because Asia is so different from the West—it was so eye-opening for me. I wouldn't change it. i think it was an interesting way to grow up. It definitely shaped me as an adult.
If you weren't doing music—what would’ve been your second career choice?
That's hard. It's sort of been like an all consuming thing. My mother put me in front of the piano when I was three. It was always a part of my life in this major way. I wanted to read English. I really love literature and books. I thought maybe I could be a writer of some kind. [Music] was always just part of the plan. I've never had a memory before it.
Talk to me about your music—more and more artists are finding new ways to describe their sound. You prefer to use colors instead of a genre. What is the color of your music?
It might be a little on the nose. I picked blue because it is the color of my harp, but I do like what it signifies, the mood and the emotion of it all. I like music that's in between sad and happy. It's nostalgic and melancholy. And I think it might be because I moved around so much. I've left a lot of people and friends behind in my life, and I think perhaps it comes from that feeling of remembering.
You’ve been in the music scene long before your debut song—what was touring with Neneh Cherry like?
Yeah, this is kind of going back to when you asked, "What else would you do?" This is one part of my musical work—I work as a harpist. I was on tour with Neneh Cherry which was one of the best experiences of my life. I really enjoyed it so much. She's such a true goddess! Everything about that experience was wonderful, the tour bus and the team she assembled. I don't really get homesick, so I think I'm very well suited for life on the road. I'm really trying to bring harp into a contemporary context, and I am always looking to work with people who want to use this instrument in a novel and interesting way.
In light of these unprecedented things that are happening, how are you? And how are you managing all of this free time that comes with social distancing?
I'm okay! I'm holed up with my crazy Russian mother—which is great! We're managing to kind of occupy ourselves with parties and vodka shots, so we're doing okay. I have my little studio set up here. In a way it's been nice to totally immerse myself into music making. I have a meditatio—a sound led meditation known as healing harp, so I have been doing some Instagram lives of that. I find it really peaceful. For me it's a meditive thing, so any chance i have to share the feeling I get from playing is lovely. I want to do that. I feel that it can help people or bring them a piece of joy during these troubling times.
If you could collaborate musically with anyone in the world, dead or alive—who would you choose?
Gosh! That's a hard question. There are so many people to choose from. There are a lot of artists I love and admire, but it's hard because I'm predominantly on my own. It's rare for me to do sessions with other people. I think I would just enjoy being in a collaborative space just to learn things from people I admire. Tame Impala comes to mind because he's a one man production wizard. I would really love to see how he gets his drums to sound so sick. Kimbra I think is really amazing. I think she's really slept on by the industry. She's so awesome. I think more in concept of what I can gain from their concept. I enjoy working on my own but I would to see what their studio secrets are.
Now that the debut single is out the way, the world is your oyster—what do you plan on doing next?
Obviously it's not the time, but I would love to play a lot of shows—and I think in the future we will get back to that. And I can't wait to go nuts on stage because it's going to be a long time coming. My full length is in the works, perhaps it'll be a Corona album. This is a period of time where lots of artist are hunkering down and writing their next masterpiece.
“Gimme Love” was produced by Joji himself and coins a catchy hook that carries ties to his Japanese roots. For the latter portion of the song, Bekon & The Donuts enter their production for a switch in tone—angels sing with weighty euphoria.
Directed by Joji and Andrew Donoho, the music video brings the song to the surface. Joji acts as a scientist who sheds sweat, blood and tears to rise in the ranks of his profession. Ultimately becoming an astronaut, Joji seizes the chance to leave his life on Earth—his own way of hinting that he is looking for an escape.
