When 2hollis opened a portal by way of New York’s Terminal 5 in August, teenage hotheads rejoiced, locking limbs as his synths blared from cavernous audio system. Ken Carson’s Chaos Tour was a breakthrough for the bleach-blonde rapper-producer as he introduced the angsty dance-pop of his June album boy to life. 2hollis opened each evening of the tour’s American leg, conducting juvenile thoughts management by way of synth passages and FL drum loops. “gold,” his first single because the summer time, showcases the high-octane theatrics he might need picked up from Ken.
The beginning of “gold” mimics that feeling when the rollercoaster hums awake and creaks ahead: a pang of irresistible anxiousness. “Ain’t no level in ready,” hollis chants because the shriek of scraping steel grows louder and extra attractive. Then the observe explodes into bone-shattering 808s, rickety hi-hats, and jerk-adjacent claps, drawing from the raucous enchantment of A Nice Chaos, as 2hollis wades between whispers and agonizing yelps. “Backseat I ate it in my gold tooth,” he spits, earlier than leaping out of his pores and skin. “Backseat I wanna see you contact me!” Beneath his voice, metallic wails coil into crooked melody.
Self-produced alongside Jonah Abraham, the unsung architect of Complete Lotta Crimson’s “Rockstar Made” and “New Tank,” “gold” is violently exhilarating by design. Over the observe’s beaming gabber coda, 2hollis strains his voice like a bomb is strapped to his torso. It’s chilling; one thing’s brewing post-Chaos.
