Lil Mariko Is Screaming Her Way Into The Cultural Consciousness

I think I’ve heard the greatest song ever made. 

Ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but nevertheless: my brain has been in a constant state of transcendence since first listening to the new Lil Mariko track, “Shiny”, earlier this week. 

If you’ve heard of Lil Mariko (born Kat Zhang), it’s probably from her late 2019 viral hit “Where’s My Juul??”, a collaboration with producer (and boyfriend) Jared Soule, aka Full Tac. The general consensus of “Where’s My Juul??”--a song about, yup, freaking out over a misplaced Juul--was that as funny and memey as it is, you simply could not deny the hard-hitting beat and the sheer intensity of Lil Mariko’s screeching vocals (characteristics that also work to heighten the song’s central joke). 

So when I heard the duo released a new song, I was curious to say the least--and holy shit, “Shiny” cranks things up to seventeen. The track is a heart-stopping, hyperpop rager with one of the most visceral, ear-obliterating, mind-melting screamo vocal performances I’ve heard in quite some time.

The song’s main verses are raunchy and funny, with Lil Mariko cracking jokes and singing (and speaking) with snooty swagger over the thumping beat. And then the chorus comes in and transports your ears through space and time on some Interstellar shit. Seriously: I cannot understate how insane these vocals are (and kudos to how well balanced they are with the instrumental). “I’m a shiny bitch, I got lots of shiny shit/I got glitter on my clit ‘cause I’m a shinny bitch,” Lil Mariiko shrieks, a genuinely shocking hook that’s as hilarious in its phrasing as it is terrifying in its execution. It goes crazy. 

“Shiny” is the duo’s third song of the year, following April’s “Don’t Touch” and a fantastic remix of Dorian Electra’s “Sorry Bro (I Love You)”. I can’t even imagine what a full-length project of theirs might sound like--30 plus minutes of similar material would be an interesting experience, that much I can presume. Regardless, I certainly trust the couple--who just last week announced a partnership with Earth Agency--to continue putting out hysterical, envelope-pushing tunes for the foreseeable future. 

Written by Noah Simon