Elusive polymath underscores returns with her second full length album, Wallsocket: a colourful frenzy of pop, punk, electronica and more, condensed into a razor sharp package with limitless innovation.
Since she first forayed onto the Internet music scene with stellar debut single ‘Climate’ way back in 2017, underscores has amassed a cult following. Tens of millions of streams and statement appearances on a myriad of stages have certified underscores not just as a prodigious record artist, but as a brilliant live entity also.
With the exception of collaborations, underscores writes, records and produces her music entirely by herself – a feat made even more impressive given the prolific nature of her output. To cap it off, her elusive demeanour as an individual brings reality to the digitised space she inhabits; the campaign for brand new album Wallsockets being bathed in cryptic clues across the sleepy town of Wallsocket, Michigan, where the album was created.
Released via Mom+Pop Music, Wallsocket is an exceptional addition to the underscores catalogue; the record, like her previous efforts, continues to blur genre lines and executing whip-smart pop songwriting to the highest degree.
From the frenetic production on ‘Locals (girls like us)‘ , to the glooming crescendos of ‘Horror movie soundtrack’, underscores sets a precedent, almost laying down a gauntlet as she proves there isn’t anything she can’t do.
‘Geez louise (with henhouse!)’ injects a foundation of metal and hardcore, an aggressive, distorted seven-minute stepping stone on the record. Thumping sub basses duel with atonal and jarring guitar inflections before the track descends into a subtle and ambient passage and builds once again into an expansive, distortion-soaked wall of sound.
Hyperpop has become a buzzword in recent years, with the genre exiting its niche internet home and becoming popular – albeit still polarising – on the world stage. This underscores album, however, affirms what made hyperpop so special in the first place. Zero boundaries and limitless innovation have cultivated one of the most unique listening experiences of the year, and despite the demarcated nature of much of the track listing, Wallsocket does truly offer something for everyone.
