Yes, in the title are two musicians, bled from the same music scene but each with a slanted variation of the unifying style that their genre birthed them from.
I now ask, what does twoism even know of hyperpop? Are they fans? Is it obnoxious autotuned glitch hell or something more? Because when you mention hyperpop to the average consumer or rateyourmusic fanlad, I think they picture the fight or flight response when listening to 100 gecs, or the music of SOPHIE who died prematurely before she could do greater things. Charli XCX's star studded year with Brat (A.G. Cooks label, PC Music, here in the UK would be a worthy place to stamp some major characteristics of hyperpop.)
That was a little surface level background, I'm here to talk about underscores and Jane Remover. And there's two things I'd like you to keep in mind before I go running off my mouth, the first one is that though both these women had an early role in the hyperpop scene of 2019 to 2021, their roots are based in this, yet the music spans so many textures and styles as you move along and the progression of each of their invidual artistry is truly amazing and captivating to watch.
In fact hyperpop as a name, let's forget that shall we? The second thing to keep in mind is that it's not for everyone, but I don't mean musically, I'm saying lyrically. I'll explain. Underscores is a trans woman, and Jane Remover is a trans woman. The themes of identity go hand in hand here, and moreso with Jane but still, while you can definitely appreciate this music even if you don't align with da letterz literally or personally, I will warn that you may not understand a good chunk of it's lyrical content.
The fanbases and their larger communities are LGBTQ in the first place and comprised of young adults, not a dissimilar age to myself.
(I do think the transness is a lot of listeners catharsis.)
Now, ready?.......AND OFF WE GO.
underscores ("fishmonger" and "Wallsocket")
After many years of producing music in glitchy lanes as a bedroom producer, April Harper Grey found herself mastering the techniques of the craft more and more. I give your "jumping on point" for the music of underscores to be fishmonger (2021), which is an early culmination at this time in her career of the sounds of the EP's Skin Purifying Treatment (2018) and Character Development (2020) with a indie rock sound.
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Her voice and vocals are very much in the androgynous and male category of singing at this point, so it may be jarring. The production is chaotic and noisy at times, lethargy can be found within the same songs. There's a kind of brewing confidence from fishmonger as it takes from indie styles and warps them around the hyperpop aesthetic. For such a short album, you get a handful of variety from a shimmering sun-kissed ambient acoustic section, to pop punk, to clapping electronic percussion found in footwork and trap music.
Notable standouts;
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"it's the new wave of the future!"
Later that year April released an EP to accompany fishmonger and bridge the gap between it and her next record. The EP was titled Boneyard AKA Fearmonger and is the first to reference S*nny, a character that plays a part in the next album, a concept record!
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Notable standouts;
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Featuring gabby start, a close friend and with a fantastic music project of his own. This is also a sequel song or counterpart to Spoiled little brat from fishmonger.
And so we get to the currant climax of her career, a pinnacle concept album and social commentary project about the midwest entitled Wallsocket (2023).
Wallsocket is the name of the fictional town to where the album is based. Loosely, it's also about 3 teenage girls growing up and navigating early adulthood, majorly, it talks about issues of class, gun voilence, bank robberies, sexual abuse, and talks about gender dysphoria which had been absent from April's previous major works.
This theme of gender also marked a shift in how she approached her vocals, because in the time between the fishmonger era and Wallsocket, she came out as a trans woman. This album is more clearly femininly sung, and with so many topics to cover it clocks in at just under an hour.
Wallsocket is also my favourite album from her, I find it much more eclectic than the last, it melds midwest emo and electropop and even punky country while still sounding like the same musician. You'll find lots and lots of hidden details in repeat listens and the emotional highs and lows are the most raw in all of indie music right now. A very dense yet less interpretive listen.
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Also Wallsocket is April's first album on the Mom+Pop label, it garnered much more critical acclaim from a new push into the spotlight. Her first major label debut.
Notable standouts;
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Bank robbery! Fuck yeah!
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Backstory of the 3 girls, the crux of the "lore".
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A song about having a classmate enroll for the Army and your worries for them, not wanting them to die in battle.
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The song exploring gender dysphoria and Catholicism. Has a screeching agitated punk rock opening which suddenly turns into a country rock shoegaze odyssey at 7 minutes with a breathtaking climax.
"He's just like me, she's just like me, they're just like me... GOD DAMNIT!"
For further understanding and unpacking, please consider watching Professor Skye's dissection of the themes and more, and the theory of the sample "Good Luck!" being used as a mantra.
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End-of-post footnote: please feel free to use the standouts songs as individual tasters of underscores' sound, or just dive in to the full album y'know. I hope you liked this over-zealous write up and feel intrigued to check the music out, you will be getting another load of witterings later today for Jane Remover!
Stay tuned.
