The past few years have shown a huge spike in the popularity of music that could be described as “techno” and “synth-pop.” Even new genres have formed, such as “hyperpop” or “glitchcore.” 100 gecs brought hyperpop to a semi-national spotlight, but the genre expands far beyond 100 gecs.
Artists are using samples from popular video games and clips of internet-culture media, as well as creating irresistible beats that are sure to be ear worms.
It’s an interesting genre, because it contains music that can be produced pretty independently, given the increase in production technology artists can get their hands on today. It’s cool to see pop thriving in a way this isn’t commerical, factory-produced cookie-cutter fluff.
My playlist is as follows:
- “HI 5” – Frost Children
This song is off Frost Children’s new album, “SPEED RUN,” which I can’t get enough of. I wrote a bit about this release in an upcoming blog post of mine, so keep an eye out for that.
- “back2me *°:⋆ₓₒ” – Yameii Online
- “bag!” – Malldate, mark drizzle
Mark drizzle is an artist I’ve written about before, and this collab with artist Malldate is super fun and catchy. I’ve got another one of mark’s songs later in the list, which is a single for an upcoming release.
- “if god didnt want us to snort worms he wouldnt have made them cylindrical” – MIMDEATH
This MIMIDEATH album, “effective. Power” was released in 2020, but I’ve noticed it getting a lot more attention in the past few months, and it’s warranted– it’s really experimental and exploratory hyperpop/glitchcore with a ton of really cool samples, including samples from other artists in the genre.
- “sweet dreams” – 8485, blackwinterwells
- “any%” – mark drizzle, dynastic
- “seeker missile” – dynastic
- “movies for guys” – Jane Remover
Jane Remover blows me away with every song, and this song off their 2021 album “Frailty” is fantastic– every time I listen to it, I feel like I’ve listened to three different songs in a six-minute span.
- “Dumbest Girl Alive” – 100 gecs
- “hello?” – TURQUOISEDEATH
These songs aren’t ranked nor are they a list of the top songs I’ve enjoyed in the hyperpop and synth-pop genres, but they’re a good start for those wanting to dive deeper into the genre.
— bel$
