_{By Hailey Rose}

It is my honor to introduce you to trance-trap! Nostalgic-house? Experimental-2010’s popcore? Who’s to say? This album’s music defies easy categorization. It doesn’t conform to any specific genre or require explicit boundaries. “SONGS4GURLZ is music that fills space, a headspace for you to escape into your own world.” (As paraphrased from the musical overlord himself.)

SONGS4GURLZ was released by RRRRRecords, which was co-founded by GANKY and gexgex who were rooming together at the time in Salt Lake City. When asked what the appeal was in starting their own production company as opposed to seeking a record deal, they responded that this kind of music lives on the internet. Most of what a record label does in the early stages you can pretty much do at home now. There was also worry that the creative freedom of the artist would be hindered and that this project wouldn’t be taken seriously.

Don’t be misled to think that SONGS4GURLZ is a ballad for lovers and womanizers, as the title and album cover suggest; GANKY just found it to be aesthetically pleasing when writing it down, and it stuck. Diving into the album, you’re met with zero hesitation by the sound effects and electronic mixes that get you locked in and listening to the music. Within the song “HELLUVARIDE,” you’ll hear a clever display of orchestrated vocals and tracks that suck you in for the ride, and beats that act like a seatbelt, buckling you in and keeping you grounded during the blast off into GANK-world.

“WHY WOULD I LIE” starts with retro but also futuristic-sounding chords and “g-g-g-g-GANKY.” Which you can spot throughout the whole album with different variations to match the style of the song. I asked about this, and GANKY explained that it was an artist tag, something that most artists who independently produce their own music add in as their signature on a song. It helps give credit where due as well as adds a fun element to artist tracks. As far as the actual voice behind GANKY’s tag, it’s a bit of a mystery. He explained that he was stopping at In-N-Out one night and ran into another DJ friend who was on a Tinder date. They started to talk a bit about music, and next thing you know, they’re recording his friend’s date on voice memo in the parking lot. He’s tried to find the girl since then but has been unsuccessful. Hopes are that this music finds its way back to her.

One of my favorite tidbits from the album has to be during the song “STAY A WHILE.” There’s a break from the song, and then you hear, “You are now entering the gates of the underworld.” It was the last thing I expected to hear, but I was pleasantly surprised all-together. It’s so sick and fits perfectly in the song, amidst the auto-tuned vocals. I’m obsessed and did what any other obsessed but totally chill girl would do and took an internet deep dive to find the origin of this catchline. About halfway through a YouTube gameplay video, I found it was from a 1990s arcade game, Gauntlet Legends. Again, so sick and so fitting for the entire vibe of the album.

If I had to pick a favorite song from the album. I couldn’t, and I don’t work well under pressure so please don’t ask again—but I can pick two! “I JUST WANNA BE WITH YOU” is a fever dream! I feel as if I’m waking up on the astral plane of my innocent romance illusions. It’s like the early stages of falling in love with someone; everything about them is rose-colored, and you can fantasize about what it could be like being with them. This song makes me giddy and excited about love and how sweet it is to yearn after someone. On a deeper level, “WHO WOULDA THOUGHT” takes me back to many late nights on the 15. I think many Utahns can relate to me here, especially if you live in the valley and commute to Salt Lake often. It’s 45 minutes give or take from the city to Provo. Just enough time to think about your entire life, where you’re going, and where you’ve been. Even in the lowest parts of life, you can look back and see the progress and thank the people who’ve helped you along. Then with the beat, hope rises again; a line from the song reads, “…rolling down my window, can’t wait to see where I go; this is not an end though.”

The record ends with an angelic ballad. It’s eerie; I almost can’t make out what’s vocals and what’s electronic in the background. Only at the end do I realize I’ve been in a mindspace this whole time and look back and thank the music for the trip to GANK-town and back. Please, join me next time. Or even better, I encourage you to take a trip of your own.

Before I let you all go, I want to leave GANKY with this: I truly believe what you are doing is the future of music. Not only electronic mixes, but the essence of this project. You had fun and felt deeply, and then created the space for your listener to do the same. Don’t stop, never stop. LET’S GROW GANK-CITY.

Make sure to follow GANKY on Instagram! You can listen to “WHO WOULDA THOUGHT” below!