PAN M 360 / TOP 100 : 100 gecs — 10,000 gecs

Over the past few weeks, our most active record reviewers have had the task of choosing their 5 favorite recordings of 2023, and here they are. This selection is unique and quite different of all you can find on the web or through traditional medias.

For those already familiar with the way of the gec, parts of 10,000 gecs will feel like a natural evolution for the duo. There’s “Dumbest Girl Alive,” with its busted-up basslines paired with emo, punk-inspired guitars and a classically angsty vocal line. “Hollywood Baby” is another clear elevation of 100 gecs’ original formula—a true ear-worm guitar riff combined with whiny lyrics that harken back to something like The All-American Rejects. But just as you think you’re getting a grip, the mysterious, shapeshifting sound of 100 gecs wriggles from your grasp in the form of “Frog on the Floor.” A childish, semi-ska-inspired chord progression, a borderline un-produced vocal chorus, and gratuitous use of ribbiting samples all come together to punish us for our arrogance—the hubris to assume we could ever comprehend 100 gecs’ aesthetic choices. Not content to ride the hyperpop wave of their own creation, 100 gecs has once again struck out into the unknown, the unpopular, and the unusual.