genres: hyperpop + rap + punk + art rock
for fans of: Azealia Banks, 100 Gecs, Rina Sawayama, Charli XCX
Truly one of the most elusive to classify albums I’ve heard recently, this 2017 debut full length by Australian artist Ecca Vandal pushes genre boundaries in fascinating and seemingly contradictory directions while also being perfectly coherent. Through slightly predating many of the foundational releases of modern hyperpop, a similar sonic interrogation of modern top-40 music occurs. Flitting effortlessly between massive pop hooks (“Future Heroine”), octave leaping alt-rock anthems (“Your Way”), blistering rap (“Broke Days, Party Nights”), punk energy (“Price Of Living”), and delicately balanced ballad work (“End Of Time”), Ecca Vandal’s vocal work is always spot on and amazingly varied for an individual artist.
While the vocals are phenomenal, it’s the instrumentation and composition that make this album uniquely compelling. At its core inarguably a pop record, Ecca Vandal rewrites what that means from the ground up. Some similarities to recent breakout group 100 Gecs can be seen, though almost in reverse. While that duo repeatedly deconstruct pop music into glitchy dissonance that pushes clearly ‘pop’ sounds that stretch their genre barriers near the breaking point, Ecca Vandal draws sounds and song structures that would never be considered remotely near the palate of modern pop and assembles them in a way that any of the twelve tracks here would sound at home amongst any list of current hits. Sometimes this consists of familiar modern techniques employed by mainstream artists like Charli XCX of twisting bubblegum bright melodies and sounds around an intentionally cold and nihilistic rhythm as a parody of materialistic emptiness (“Cassettes, Lies and Videotapes”, “End Of Time”). Other times, it is much more bizarre (yet somehow never dissonant), like the math rock guitar work employed over multiple layers of beats on “Broke Days, Party Nights”. This album really offers a lot for everyone: it’s as catchy and accessible as anything on the radio, yet more complex and multidimensional than many recent prog releases.
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