Thursday 3/18: Laura Les—"Haunted"
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song from the pop singer-producer Laura Les.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc. Three days of the week are free but you can get access to all five weekly posts by subscribing for $5/month via Substack or $2/month via our Patreon.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song from the pop singer-producer Laura Les.
Laura Les—"Haunted"
Eric Bennett:
Since 100 gecs gained notoriety at the end of 2019, it’s been clear that Dylan Brady’s star has risen, primarily due to his collaborative work with established acts like Charli XCX and up-and-comers like Rico Nasty. However, the group's other half, Laura Les, is making her own mark outside the group. With “Haunted, Les indicates a direction for what her solo career might look like. This bite-sized bop capitalizes on the esoteric vibes used in some of the promotional art around Tree of Clues. Bugs in the carpet, fangs bared, Les’ pitched up vocals steer the listener through a flailing, manic slice of hyperpop that boasts exorcism-tier screams.
Eli Enis:
Let it be known that this is not Laura Les’ first solo song. Between 2016 and 2018, the Chicago-based artist dropped a few projects on her Bandcamp that are still labeled under her old moniker osno1. The songs on Big Summer Jams 2018 and the three-track i just dont wanna name it anything with “beach” in the title are a lot less lo-fi and more simplistic than what she’s currently making, but they’re worth checking out so you can hear her preternatural gift for melody and her creative, vulnerable lyrics take shape in real time. Toward the end of that period she also guested on Umru’s song “popular”, which came out three years ago and still remains one of the best hyperpop tracks I’ve ever heard.
However, it seems like “Haunted” is a proper reintroduction to herself as a solo performer, and I think it fucking rules. Her sliced-up, ghastly vocal edits are admittedly very reminiscent of Crystal Castles, but I think Les gives that style her own unique spin with her unmistakable auto-tune and playful lyrical style. “If I show my fangs, will you tell me that they're cool?” is a nice, cartoonish foil to spooky lines about mirrors shattering and self-loathing pleas like, “Yeah, do you think it's cute that / I'm so fucking stupid / Tell me that it is, 'cause I'm tired of being useless.” Dylan Brady’s trajectory as a hired-hand producer was pretty easy to see after the rise of gecs, but I’m glad that Les is carving out a lane for herself as well. I think she’s the better singer and lyricist of the two, which is another way of saying she’s the best vocalist in this entire scene. Hands down.