After teasing their collaboration for the last two weeks — longer if you include the months-old leaks that have circulated online — Rico Nasty and 100 Gecs finally shared the remix of “Ringtone” today, revealing that it also has pop singer Charli XCX and indie pop band Kero Kero Bonito on it as well. It’s exactly as weird as you would expect — or perhaps hoped — with plinking electronic keys, a silly but relatable chorus, and bubbly performances from all parties involved. It’s also accompanied by an odd visualizer, which features 100 Gecs members Dylan and Laura holding popsicle stick puppets of each of their guests as they sing/rap.
There’s still no telling if the “Ringtone” remix was the “hit” Dylan Brady tweeted about earlier this month, but now that it’s out, if there are anymore potential 100 Gecs/Rico Nasty crossovers, we definitely need to hear them. The two acts are perfectly suited to one another. Both enjoy using strange sounds in their production — not to mention their oddly colorful and off-putting visual presentation — but more than that, their disregard for the conventions of whichever genres they happen to be dabbling in means their musical experiments often end up in some fun and surprising places. Adding Charli XCX and Kero Kero Bonito to this particular track give it a Saturday morning anime feel. The sensation is a little like being trapped in an arcade full of Japanese claw games: Dizzying, ecstatic, surreal, and just short enough of overwhelming to keep your brain buzzing.
Listen to Rico Nasty and 100 Gecs’ “Ringtone” remix above.
Rico Nasty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
