What has been the most impactful music put out in the last 5 years? Genuinely impactful? Impactful in having an actual effect on the way music sounds, in the way we think about music.
A lot of people may say it’s the Phoebe Bridgers or Billies (who’s sounding increasing like Phoebe these days) of the world that are making the most culturally impactful and adored music. Maybe it’s Taylor Swift or Beyonce who have had the most impact on the culture at large, who are the most important. Taylor’s Folklore was certainly a groundbreaking record, right? People love it because it’s new and different and cool and shit. She made an indie record! Isn’t that so incredibly unique and worth celebrating?
I think a lot of us have forgotten that good shit freaks people out.
Freaks critics out, makes the music writers at The New Yorker or legacy publications malfunction. New sounds are few and far between this day in age.
Did Folklore frighten you? Had you ever heard anything like it before? Did Punisher make you uncomfortable? Change your perspective on what music is, could and should be?
To keep things simple, the answer is no. None of those artists have really brought anything new to the table sonically. They bring vibes. And all anyone fucking cares about is the goddamn vibes. All those vibes are very slick and cool too. Very depressed, very anxious, very smooth. The sonic equivalent to a Marvel movie, easily digestible. Slide them down your throat like a fast food burger slippery with grease and mayo. VSCO accounts that you can stream on Spotify. The targeting of a few marquee females in this example isn’t a sexist one, they are the best at doing what they do. Their vibes are wonderful and we’d all be lying if we said we’ve never turned on Kyoto alone in the car and welled up. Men in the popular music sphere are seldom worth mentioning in any article. Phoebe, Billie and T Swift have my utmost respect forever and always, but they don’t need it, they make millions of dollars. Only ever punching up.
But let’s get to the point. Who’s defining what music will sound like for the next few years? If we can escape from our COVID induced descent into nostalgia, what will the future look like?
It sounds like Dylan Brady in Laura Les. It looks like Contradash.
Hyperpop is the future, and Contadash’s new track, 222pm, with Dylan Brady is indicative of the sonic stylings of 100 gecs bleeding into the mainstream of popular genres.
222pm is a sonic departure from the rest of Contradash’s discography, and he knows it, saying it felt like his first release. It certainly sounds like it. His debut record, all-star that came out last year was a scattered record lacking cohesion or identifiable sound. While there were great moments on the record, but it’s guitar driven emo-trap mixed with low energy monotonous vocals felt flat — a listenable record to be sure, but nothing that shines like 222pm.
In this track with Dylan Brady we get a higher energy Dash, bouncing off the walls and through flows with new found confidence and ease. Contradash shines as a rapper, his rhymes are nimble, arrogant and off kilter, combined with Brady’s trademark production it makes for a fun track worthy of back to back to back plays.
It feels fresh and new, a spontaneous creation that compliments the skills of producer and artists — it feels honest. It sounds as though Dash has found his niche, despite the wild production his laid black vocals are able to hold attention and guide you through the psychotic instrumental. The production takes you on a wild ride while the vocals keep you grounded and focused on Dash — he remains constant and solid amidst the chaos like a seasoned carney moving effortlessly on a Friday night at the country fair.
The visuals compliment the track wonderfully. Contradash raps on an empty roller coaster emulating the quick up and downs of the song itself. He’s got a great look too, one of those people with an interesting face and perfectly modern and understated fashion sense. He’s one of those people you just want to look at, he’s obviously a handsome gentleman but there’s a complexity to his look that is visually appealing. Judging by the video he has a certain affinity for rubbing his head which I resonate with deeply for some reason.
Dash and Dylan are really onto something. We all knew Dylan is onto something, if 100 gecs wasn’t enough to convince you that Dylan is on the cutting edge, 222pm might be. It highlights his ability to take the trademark production of Gecs and fit it into someone else’s sound and vision — this will be one in a long line of tracks to take this 100 Gecs style production and translate it to fit their needs.
222pm highlights Contradash’s ability to grow. He’s still working out his sound and 222pm is an excellent starting point. We’re looking forward to seeing where it goes.