Revitalizing the Spirit of Hyperpop: DARLING GAILS

The experience of waking up on a Saturday morning, drinking your coffee at 8 am, and then hitting play on Darling Gails‘s sophomore album ‘Gunk‘ was one of those experiences that I won’t forget any time soon. The hyperpop duo is based in the USA and Puerto Rico, bringing a mix of EDM, K-pop, and MySpace era pop punk to the table. Bella Luxury and Jason Diaz met via social media and bonded over a love of shlocky horror films and sugary fast pop music.

Hyperpop is pop music taken to a different level, blending elements of bubblegum pop, nightcore and PC music to create a unique sonic palette that leaves jaws dropped and minds blown. And I gotta say, this album hits the right spot. ‘Gunk’ is a colorful frenzy of pop, electronica, K-pop, and more, condensed into a razor-sharp package with limitless innovation.

The music of Darling Gails is remarkably expansive, combining influences from the Japanese mainstream with the radical experimentalism that characterized the hyperpop scene during its heyday, delivering an impressively original project that seemed to emerge out of thin air.

The album is an exceptional addition to Darling Gails’ catalogue. The record continues to blur genre lines and executes whip-smart pop songwriting to the highest degree. From the frenetic EDM production of the titled track to the glooming crescendos of “Heart,” the duo set a precedent, almost laying down a gauntlet as they prove there’s nothing they can’t do. The glittery, disco-tinged strut of “Innocent” injects an EDM foundation, while “Nuki” descends into a K-pop passage before building into a sprawling wall of sound. It is incredible how zero boundaries and limitless innovation have created one of the greatest listening experiences of the year so far. ‘Gunk’ truly offers something for everyone.

“Triangle” tickles all my K-drama senses, while “Slurple” offers up an earworm crafted from bass and tinnitus. But no other track feels as successful at reinventing Darling Gails as “Cera,” a latino-like song of lush that adds the tension of across-the-room yearning in a period piece TV series. The catharsis that arrives as the song plays feels as vast and overwhelming as the night sky itself.

“Recollection” on the other hand hits some unexpected paths, with gloomy and atmospheric nuances, almost like listening to a post-rock track. Just wow! “Farewell” feels like a high-speed chase, with great rapping and flashy synths matching the band’s signature autotune to make it a certified hit.

The majority of songs on ‘Gunk‘ sound like the audience is walking through a video game, and the genre changes as the album progresses. It is truly a marvel to see hyperpop in its many forms on ‘Gunk,’ and this playfulness really sets Darling Gails apart from other artists in hyperpop.

All that to say ‘Gunk’ is good. Damn good. The duo demonstrate a clear knack for pairing genres, knowing when to leave the boundaries between them intact and when to smoosh them together into a hybrid. As well as not taking themselves too seriously, their music avoids using quirkiness as a gimmick.

I see Darling Gails as epitomizing the spirit of hyperpop — the original spirit of hyperpop from before the genre became so oversaturated that it developed a characteristic sound of its own. It takes what I’ve heard before and renders it unfamiliar. It maximalizes pop to make it new.

Darling Gails is still underground, but their careers are just beginning and they are unafraid to discover new pathways in this genre. The band’s music is a pallet cleanser for those wanting the genre to offer something new, and their sophomore album is a testament to that. Would love to see them live sometime!

Favorite tracks: “Gunk,” “Triangle,” “Cera,” (top fav), “Recollection,” and “Farewell” but I strongly advise to listen to the whole album.