In Rotation: 8485

When you start out at 14 doing Billy Talent covers in post-hardcore bands before pivoting to Grimes-worshipping Tumblr pop, the resulting sound is bound to be a beautiful glitch. That is exactly the trajectory of Toronto’s 8485. The artist, who also goes by Eighty, has been building a sprawling catalog in the underground hyperpop scene since 2020. She used to run with collectives like Helix Tears and GoonnCity, but right now she is operating in a lane entirely her own. I'll be honest, a lot of this escape room glitchcore wave flies right past me. My ear naturally bends toward boom-bap and soul chops. But I respect anyone who can write a real hook. 8485 bridges the gap. She collaborates with electronic heavyweights like Anamanaguchi and Whethan, but she also works with Danny Brown and Midwxst. That Danny Brown connection makes perfect sense when you hear her music. The production is frantic. The synthesizers redline. The drums stutter and crash like a corrupted hard drive. Here is my take: most underground hyperpop acts use heavy distortion to hide sh*tty songwriting. 8485 actually writes massive pop melodies. If you stripped away the synthetic chaos and just gave her an acoustic guitar, these songs would still hold up. Her teenage obsession with Marina and the Diamonds' Electra Heart shines through the digital static. She knows how to build a chorus that sticks to your ribs. Her track "Buzzbands" has been on repeat in my headphones all week. The curators are catching on, too. The song just hit Spotify’s #NowWatching playlist at #22 and climbed to #9 on Fresh Finds Canada. The numbers validate what the music already proves. She is finding the sweet spot between nostalgic pop structure and futuristic internet noise. I didn't think I’d be riding down Flatbush blasting glitchcore this week, but here we are. Hit play below.