Myrtle Beach, SC’s Hundredth has been basically evolving their sound over the last few years. The flux of the band from melodic hardcore to aggro shoegaze was reported on their last LP, RARE 2017, which landed a spot on our list of the best albums of that year. (“The guitars are roaring, the hooks are hammering, the melodies are luscious, and the sky is the limit.”)
In the months after RARE’s release, Hundredth Frontman Chadwick Johnson explored his even-dreaming influences through Pure Violet’s solo project. (“These songs recall some of the best post-punk, dream-pop and shoegaze bands of the’ 80s and’ 90s in both texture and tone.”)
And the next step in that evolution comes today, as Johnson and Hunderth return with a brand-new song called “Whatever.” Immediately, “Whatever” feels like a synthesis of Johnson’s two projects, even as it pushes Hunderth further away from the arena-screamo sound on which they made their name. RARE’s behemoth guitars have been moved to the back burner as the song pulls from the greats of the new wave, e.g. the Cure and New Order, stylistically.
The hook of the song, fitting its influences, is beyond catchy, managing to land in the echo-drenched, reverb-soaked space with absolute grace. Johnson chants on the chorus: “I just want to run away / I just want to feel good today / I don’t want to think about anything / I just want to be whatever I want to be.” The sound is shot through with heavy filters and effects that bend and silence the air in hair-raising ways.
Listen below.