You’re It: A Narrow Escape From a Sophomore Slump
Gupi’s latest project is a controversial compilation of half-baked, but refreshing ideas
Photo: Gupi on Bandcamp
Electronic music producer, Berklee alumnus, and hyperpop star Spencer Hawk (yes, he is Tony’s son), better known as Gupi, released his sophomore effort, You’re It, on January 7th. The album follows None, his debut, released in the beginning of 2020. Hawk has also worked with Fraxiom in their Food House project, which sparked from None’s centrepiece, the anthemic ‘Thos Moser’.
You’re It was described by its creator as “a collection of tracks [he]’s been hoarding for the past two years”, which is quite important information. The bubblegum bass sound of None is very much still present, the drops are just as hard, and the songwriting, song naming and track sequencing continue to be chaotic. Of course, Gupi’s production has gone through logical technical improvement, with fresh ideas and new sounds – such as incredible blends of organic and synthesised instrumentals, as seen in ‘Dance While You Can’, a track that reinterprets the Electro House sound of the early 2010s. These “post-EDM” reinventions are laid throughout the entire project, with the artist bringing sounds used in the past by Skrillex and deadmau5 back to the table, and recycling them into a modern, original songs. While this process may create exhilarating tunes, like ‘Divinorum Spin’, it sometimes fails, with the result being tracks like ‘Body Horror’ – which falls into the old brostep idiosyncrasies, lacking constructive songwriting and aiming for repetitive drops. Indeed, songwriting is Hawk’s worst sin in You’re It. He clearly displays a talent for creating absorbing melodies, but remains stubborn when writing each song, insisting on flipping the same idea over and over – which can work sometimes, but is set to exhaust the listener by the end of the A-side.
I was surprised by the lack of vocals, which brought life to songs like ‘Modest’ and ‘Delusion’ in his debut. While there are exceptions in ‘Spiralcourse’ and ‘Feel’, the singing is rather obnoxious, taking a very abrasive tone, distancing itself from the “cute” aesthetic of None’s vocals, as it boasts an excess of sped-up autotune, even for hyperpop standards. ‘Spiralcourse’ sounds like a Five Nights at Freddy’s fan song, and nothing will change my mind.
All in all, You’re It is solid, even if it is more polarising than its predecessor. In a way, the album’s cover art is a perfect depiction of its music. Made by Hawk himself on the default Mac app, Preview, the artwork is tacky and unconcise, but demonstrates creativity that is hard to come by. Undoubtedly, Gupi is still full of ideas, but his songwriting needs to be revised. There is a lot of potential to be explored, and I am confident the third album will show it.
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