Rating: 5/5 stars

They say good things come in threes. That is certainly true of the latest EP released by Rico Nasty (“SIMP”) in collaboration with the German DJ Boys Noize (“Oi Oi Oi”). The bite-sized three-track EP stylistically titled as “HVRDC0RE DR3AMZ” dropped on March 29. 

The first of the three songs, “Arintintin” was released back on Feb. 29 as a single and sneak peek of the new era Rico Nasty had in store for her fans. “Arintintin” deserves to become an instant club classic, and with its driving tempo and chantable lyrics it stands to become the next infectious earworm to hit the dance scene. In any case, “Lights out, bass up, I ain’t goin’ home,” is the best energy to approach life with. They also could not have picked a better time to have created the track “H.O.T.” in an age where self-confidence comes with the best background music. It has been too long since we have seen a song that comes with a simple word to spell, with a simple message for all: “H-O-T, they know they can’t f*** with me,” Rico Nasty tells us.

While each song is nothing short of expertly crafted musical genius, “Vvgina” might just be the heavy hitter out of the bunch. No, it does not consist of Rico Nasty belting the name of female genitalia over a high amount of laser sounds. It actually is the one that possesses the most lyrical depth. While “Arintintin” and “H.O.T.” celebrate being youthful and too hot to touch, “Vvgina” is a sad song cleverly disguised as the best club song in the last two decades.

Rico Nasty and Boys Noize brought on the underground electronic artist Locked Club (“Rabotaet”) to create a beat so viscously intoxicating that the lyrics “I hate having fun/’cause it reminds me of you” could be screamed in a joyous manner. Rico Nasty also tapped into her softer vocal register for this one, forgoing her classic rasp which made for an unrecognizable profile in the best way.

It cannot be long before “HVRDC0RE DR3AMZ” reaches the area of TikTok currently inhabited by HorsegiirL (“My Barn My Rules”), another successful German DJ. Europeans have long held the reins on techno, dance and deep house music. It appears they still do, and honestly, why would anyone want to stop them? Clearly they know what they are doing. Boys Noize brings a masterful tempo technique to match with Rico Nasty’s colorful performance presence and musical style. This is not the first time the pair have met, either. The two artists have worked together before featuring on each other’s tracks, like with “Girl Crush,” a song featuring Rico Nasty, on the album “+/-” released by Boys Noize in 2021. Boys Noize also worked with Rico Nasty on her song “Money” which featured Flo Milli (“Never Lose Me”) in 2022.

According to an article from hypebeast.com, Rico Nasty and Boys Noize have been in the studio together for the last few years sharing music tastes and swapping ideas. Now their first project as a team is finally here, and it proves that quality over quantity is still a solid production practice. We can only hope that this beautiful and perfect marriage between German techno and American hot girl realness continues for a good while to come. 

Image from Rico Nasty via YouTube