Unless you’re a devoted follower of Midwestern indie-rock and hip-hop, Gayngs hardly seemed deserving of the “supergroup” tag it was awarded when the project was announced earlier this year. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, P.O.S. of Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree, and members of Megafaun, The Rosebuds, and Solid Gold barely register as stars for most people, much less superstars. But you don’t have to be familiar with the expansive collective’s parts to appreciate the poker-faced cheese-pop of Gayngs’ debut, Relayted. While Gayngs claims to have more than two-dozen members, Relayted is clearly the work of a single auteur, producer Ryan Olson, who used his impressive cast in surprising ways—P.O.S sings! Justin Vernon raps!—to craft a record fueled by the soft-rock solipsism of 10cc and loads of antidepressants.
