The Blissfully Zany World of illuminati hotties
The first music video for the latest illuminati hotties album is, in a word, gross.
Staring menacingly at the camera, our wild eyed master of ceremonies gets covered in a slop of green goo. It packs the expected irreverence one might look for in the music video for a song called “MMMOOOAAAYAYAYA,” but like anything Tudzin does, there’s intentionality behind—in today’s epoch, nobody ever looks legitimately unhinged like this anymore.
I squirm as much as any “guy who owns the Gang of Four box set” when the youngins of the world imagine Kourtney Kardashian as the new face of punk because of the whole Travis Barker thing, but it’s deeper than that. Olivia Rodrigo’s brand of anger can feel a little too perfect, practiced, and stylized. Even “indie” artists like Lucy Dacus, Snail Mail, and Phoebe Bridgers will lean towards gloss before fuzz. Gone are the irresponsible hair-dye jobs of yore, these days everyone is in Vogue Magazine. illuminati hotties don’t seem to have this motivation. Continuing some of the absurdist brash of last year’s mixtape, Let Me Do One More is a refreshingly spiky mix, one that only they could make.
This isn’t the type of project that presents a specific thesis, but LMDOM is populated by characters and trends that seek to codify the nuanced terrains that make things human. The too-perfect goth influencer who’s doing juice cleanses, the moocher who treats his partner like a business asset, a convenience store clerk selling bottled up spit for profit. Within this world, Tudzin accepts the challenge of finding a way to remain human head on. Her aggressive guitars and vivid song climaxes never settle for a Spotify friendly sheen. Within the noise, she’s finding new friends by the pool in the summertime, singing the praises of a beloved pair of cheap knock-off Vans, and remembering her “favorite friends' catchphrases.” It’s fitting that the imperfect take of the last song is kept as is—how often does life present us with an actual do over?
-Donovan Burtan