When 2hollis opened a portal through New Yorkâs Terminal 5 in August, teenage hotheads rejoiced, locking limbs as his synths blared from cavernous speakers. Ken Carsonâs Chaos Tour was a breakthrough for the bleach-blonde rapper-producer as he brought the angsty dance-pop of his June album boy to life. 2hollis opened every night of the tourâs American leg, conducting juvenile mind control through synth passages and FL drum loops. âgold,â his first single since the summer, showcases the high-octane theatrics he might have picked up from Ken.
The start of âgoldâ mimics that feeling when the rollercoaster hums awake and creaks forward: a pang of irresistible anxiety. âAinât no point in waiting,â hollis chants as the shriek of scraping metal grows louder and more enticing. Then the track explodes into bone-shattering 808s, rickety hi-hats, and jerk-adjacent claps, drawing from the raucous appeal of A Great Chaos, as 2hollis wades between whispers and agonizing yelps. âBackseat I ate it in my gold teeth,â he spits, before jumping out of his skin. âBackseat I wanna see you touch me!â Underneath his voice, metallic wails coil into crooked melody.
Self-produced alongside Jonah Abraham, the unsung architect of Whole Lotta Redâs âRockstar Madeâ and âNew Tank,â âgoldâ is violently exhilarating by design. Over the trackâs beaming gabber coda, 2hollis strains his voice like a bomb is strapped to his torso. Itâs chilling; somethingâs brewing post-Chaos.
