Laura Les Explained

Laura Les
Alias:osno1
Birth Date:2 December 1994
Spouse:Gabe Howell
(m. 2017; sep. unknown)
Occupations:Music producer, singer, songwriter
Current Member Of:100 gecs

Laura Les (born December 2, 1994), previously known under the moniker osno1, is an American music producer, singer and songwriter best known as one half of experimental electronic duo 100 gecs, alongside Dylan Brady.

Early life

Les grew up in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. As a teenager, she became interested in music while learning to play guitar.[1] While attending Columbia College[2] in Chicago, where she earned a degree in acoustic engineering,[3] she began releasing music online under the moniker osno1.

Career

In 2016, Les released the EP, hello kitty skates to the fuckin CEMETARY, which she describes as "a bunch of songs about dead bodies."[4] She subsequently released the 2017 EP, i just dont wanna name it anything with "beach" in the title. In 2018, Les stopped using the osno1 moniker[5] and released a third EP, Big Summer Jams 2018, under her own name. Big Summer Jams 2018 received positive reviews from music critics, praised as "debauched digital celebrations"[6] by Vice and "a blender of fun” by Tiny Mix Tapes.[7]

Les participated in a remix album of Katie Dey's album Mydata in early 2021.[8] In March 2021, Les officially released her solo single "Haunted" following a positive reception from her fanbase after it was previously played during a virtual DJ set in 2020.[9] The song was subsequently featured in season 2 of the HBO series Euphoria.[10]

Personal life

Les has cited being transgender as contributing to her exploration of different singing styles, including pitched-up "nightcore style" vocals, which she once used almost exclusively in her music due to her experiences with voice dysphoria.[11] However, in a 2021 Pitchfork interview, she revealed she had begun taking vocal lessons and recording new 100 gecs music with unpitched vocals, saying, "As I've been exploring my voice more, I'm like, 'I can do this.'"[12]

She married illustrator and cartoonist Gabe Howell on October 13th, 2017.[13] Les lived in Chicago from 2013 to 2020, then moved to Los Angeles with Howell to work more closely with Brady.[14] As of July 2023, Les currently lives in rural Colorado with her girlfriend, May Leitz.[15]

Discography

Extended plays

TitleDetails
scope=row better get sharper; better change yr name
  • Released: unknown, 2015
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital Download
scope=row tape 1 - this town makes me sick sometimes
  • Released: May 26, 2017, but was reportedly "recorded sometime in 2013."
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital Download
scope=row hello kitty skates to the fuckin CEMETARY
  • Released: October 2, 2016
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital Download
i just dont wanna name it anything with "beach" in the title
  • Released: August 16, 2017
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download
BIG SUMMER JAMS 2018
  • Released: August 3, 2018
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download

Compilation albums

TitleDetails
xXsAd_PrOm_ReMiXXz_201666Xx
  • Released: May 10, 2016
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital Download
LETHAL POISON FOR THE SYSTEM (with Black Dresses and 99jakes)
  • Released: December 21, 2017
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital Download
REMIXES 2017
  • Released: January 8, 2018
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download

Guest appearances

TitleYearOther artist(s)Album
"Crossed Out"2018Yung SkrrtTriple Other
"Popular"UmruSearch Result
"Hard Mode"2019Andrew Goes To Hell, forcefeededDamage Control
"Pills and Good Advice"2021Left at LondonT.I.A.P.F.Y.H.

Songwriting and production credits

Title! scope="col" style="width:3em;"
YearArtist(s)Album
"Popular"2018UmruSearch Result
"Are You Hanging with the Dead Again?"XEN99
"Let It Out"2020Rico NastyNightmare Vacation
"Pussy Poppin"
"Pills and Good Advice"2021Left at LondonT.I.A.P.F.Y.H.
"Kummer"Bolboirowspan="4"
"I'm Not Perfect"2022Dreewzy
"Wanna Feel Anything Again"Die Together in Venus
"Block Me"iPod Touch

Remixes

TitleOriginal artistYear
"Anymore"Lil Aaron featuring Kim Petras2019
"Rich Bitch Juice"Alice Longyu Gao2020
"Leaving"Katie Dey2021

As part of 100 gecs

!Album!Year
100 gecs2016
1000 gecs2019
1000 gecs and the Tree of Clues2020
Snake Eyes2022
10,000 gecs2023

Notes and References

  1. Blistein. Jon . December 20, 2019 . 100 Gecs and the Art of Not Taking Things Too Seriously . June 26, 2022 . Rolling Stone . en-US.
  2. Web site: Lollapalooza Music Festival Comes to Columbia's Front Yard . March 17, 2023 . www.colum.edu . en-US . March 17, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230317232825/https://www.colum.edu/news-and-events/announcements/2022/Lollapalooza-Music-Festival-Comes-to-Columbias-Front-Yard . live .
  3. News: This chaotic duo sounds like nothing and everything you've ever heard . en-US . Washington Post . June 26, 2022 . 0190-8286 . May 8, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210508024650/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/2019/12/26/2b3e1c5e-2051-11ea-a153-dce4b94e4249_story.html . live .
  4. Web site: hello kitty skates to the fuckin CEMETARY . May 8, 2023 . SoundCloud . en . May 8, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230508184345/https://soundcloud.com/osno1/sets/hello-kitty-skates-to-the-fuckin-cemetary . live .
  5. Web site: Allanoff . Gabe . December 26, 2018 . Behind the Scenes With Laura Les . June 26, 2022 . Underground Underdogs . en-US . August 12, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190812055434/https://undergroundunderdogs.com/2018/12/26/laura-les-interview-upcoming-albums-osno1-100-gecs/ . live .
  6. Web site: Weather Our Dystopia With the Chaos Pop of Laura Les's Noisey Mix . June 27, 2022 . www.vice.com . August 6, 2018 . en . June 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627092016/https://www.vice.com/en/article/ne5qvk/laura-les-osno1-interview-noisey-mix . live .
  7. Web site: ♫ Listen: Laura Les - BIG SUMMER JAMS 2018 . June 27, 2022 . Tiny Mix Tapes . en . April 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230406173000/https://www.tinymixtapes.com/chocolate-grinder/listen-laura-les-big-summer-jams-2018 . live .
  8. Web site: January 14, 2021 . Katie Dey Announces 'mydata' Remix Album With Laura Les, Tomberlin, & More . June 26, 2022 . Stereogum . en . June 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627001747/https://www.stereogum.com/2112919/katie-dey-mydata-remix-album-laura-les-tomberlin/music/ . live .
  9. Web site: March 12, 2021 . Laura Les Actually Grew Up in a Haunted House . June 26, 2022 . PAPER . en . June 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627001434/https://www.papermag.com/laura-les-haunted-release-2651025140.html . live .
  10. Web site: January 17, 2022 . 'Euphoria' season 2 episode 2 recap: fallout from the fracas . June 26, 2022 . NME . en-GB . May 19, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220519224359/https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-recaps/euphoria-season-2-episode-2-recap-3138070 . live .
  11. Web site: Kim . Michelle Hyun . January 16, 2020 . Meet 100 gecs, the Absurdist Pop Duo Inspired By Everything on the Internet . June 26, 2022 . them. . en-US . August 6, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200806114545/https://www.them.us/story/100-gecs-interview-dylan-brady-laura-les . live .
  12. Web site: Horowitz . Steven J. . September 7, 2021 . This Is Your Brain on 100 gecs . June 26, 2022 . Pitchfork . en-US . June 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220613173222/https://pitchfork.com/features/cover-story/100-gecs-interview-new-album-10000-gecs/ . live .
  13. Web site: Moen . Matt . You've Never Heard Anything Like 100 Gecs . . March 17, 2023 . June 13, 2019 . August 12, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190812055432/https://www.papermag.com/100-gecs-money-machine-2638795117.html . live .
  14. News: Kelly . Sam . 100 gecs bringing unique brand of high-octane pop to Chicago . March 17, 2023 . . . December 4, 2019 . March 17, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230317130116/https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/12/4/20991029/100-gecs-chicago-brockhampton-aragon-ballroom-lincoln-hall . live .
  15. Web site: Fri . Naomi . World Wide Gecs . . January 6, 2023 . July 27, 2023 . October 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007142117/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/world-wide-gecs . live .