Energetic hip hop collective 1300 have officially announced their long-awaited new mixtape with the drop of their new single 'Ape Shit' featuring Korean rapper sokodomo.
The new mixtape George, locked and loaded for April 4, was created during sessions deep in a house amid the picturesque bush of the Blue Mountains, where the five-piece could really let loose.
It was in this peace-enveloped space that 1300 crafted 'Ape Shit', a texturally layered, energetic jam that feels like its bursting out of its skin.
Nerdie and pokari.sweat stepped onto Home & Hosed with Ash McGregor on Thursday night to chat through the new track and the energy instilled on the incoming mixtape.
"There was a lot of screaming involved," Nerdie said.
"It was 'anything goes' type vibe," pokari.sweat added.
Everything about 'Ape Shit' sounds frenzied, from the end result to everyone putting their own spin on the track throughout recording.
"Even the way it came about was kinda chaotic," pokari.sweat said.
"Everyone just jumped on whenever they felt like it."
When the two were mixing the track, they realised that a lot of the sounds from around the recording space were picked up, adding to the erratic energy.
"I think the vocals are the same ones we recorded in that room as well," Nerdie said.
"They've got all the room noises."
"Yeah, you could hear the room and what's going on in the background, the kitchen…" pokari.sweat added.
"But it works out. It's fun."
Between donks and thumps, 'Ape Shit' provides an incredible multiple gear change moment that nearly gives you sonic whiplash.
"It's like scrolling on TikTok, listening to that song," Nerdie said.
There's no better way to explain it – a scrolling collection of energies, vibes and sounds all bursting out of the speakers to catch your attention and hook you in.
Speaking about George more generally, the 1300 lads said it's an expression of their feelings after being in the music game for a while now.
The monkey aesthetic – between 'Ape Shit' and the Curious George links – was more of an afterthought, but the energy in the studio matched.
"There was a lot of craziness in the studio," pokari.sweat said.
"There was a lot of chaos, a lot of us making animal noises and I think that kind of carried through.
It wasn't until they stepped away from that bubble of chaos among the mountain calm that they were pinning down in the feverish recording sessions.
"There's a lot of frustration in it, but in a playful way."
"Later we actually talked about what we did in the Blue Mountains and the lyrics that we spoke about," pokari.sweat continued.
"And it's like a naïve monkey, Curious George, soon grows up (that's us). Learning about the music industry, finding things that we don't like about it, and this is our frustration towards it."
1300's George lands on April 4 via Eastern Margins.