“The Only Band That Matters”: The Hellp & Riviera Album Review

By Peyton K.

When people describe their musical project as “the worst thing [they’ve] ever done in [their] life”, it doesn’t allow much hope that their music will be worthwhile to listen to. The Hellp, however, is a special case, one I’m still debating to this day. Can the electronic duo’s musical prowess forgive their almost unbearable pretentiousness? Or are they doomed to become suffocated by their own egos?

 

“At the end of the day, that is us more or less. We were doing it there, and now we’re doing it here, and we were arrogant then, and we’re arrogant now. We’ve made some bad stuff, we made some really good shit, and some of it’s been universally praised, and some of it should be spat upon.” – Noah Dillion for Wonderland Magazine, ’25

 

What is The Hellp?

The simple answer: Noah Dillon and Chandler Ransom Lucy. But like all dynamic duos, there’s more to the story than that.

But in order for us to truly understand The Hellp as a duo, we need to understand Noah and Chandler as individuals. Although today they’re seen as irrevocably entrenched in Los Angeles culture, neither of them has their original roots there. Noah finds his history in Durango, Colorado, and Chandler in Glen Ellen, California. Both spent their time working in construction and grocery stores before making the move to LA.

Until he was 18 years old, Noah Dillon had never listened to any non-religious, secular music. However, when a classmate shared an earbud with him one day, what resulted was what Dillon called a “religious, out-of-body experience”. Not long after, Dillon was kicked out of his home and lived in his car for almost a year.

All of Chandler Ransom Lucy’s life, he had worked in construction alongside his father. He attended college to study fashion design, but soon dropped everything to commit to modeling and subsequently moved to LA. Before joining The Hellp, he had no previous experience with music (and neither did Dillon). No “nepo baby” allegations here.

“What was our destiny? Concrete, house framing, working in a grocery store. It takes a lot to get where we are. Even though we’re nowhere.” – Dillon for The Face, ’24

In the mid-2010s, Noah Dillon made a name for himself in the LA art scene (a stark change from his previous rural Colorado scenery). While working as a substitute teacher, Dillon simultaneously moonlighted as a fashion photographer and became one-half of Hot Mess, an art collective that created campaigns, clothing, art exhibitions, and unique content for brands. While it was short-lived, the collective was able to collaborate with big-name brands such as Maison Margiela and Louis Vuitton. Although the collective is mostly defunct today, it helped introduce the world to the type of visuals The Hellp would later be known for (and kickstart Dillon’s creative career).

It was in 2016 when the foundations of The Hellp began to form. One day, Dillon tweeted, “I want to start a band”. When asked why he started the project, Dillon says he created it out of the fear of dying without ever being in a cool band. Thus, The Hellp was born, at first made of only Dillon and guitarist Eddie Liaboh (who left in 2018). They released their debut project, Twin Sinner, on February 25th, 2016. However, the tides turned when Dillon and Lucy met in later 2016. It was at a photoshoot for Hot Mess where Lucy and Dillon connected, quickly bonding over their backgrounds in construction and their shared love for the song “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2” by A$AP Rocky. It wasn’t long after that Lucy became part of The Hellp.

The Rise

After Twin Sinner‘s release, the album was mostly scrapped, their guitarist and original member Eddie Liaboh left, and The Hellp became the duo we know it as today. With Hot Mess reaching the peak of its popularity, fans of the collective were subsequently discovering the group. Even after the scrapping of Twin Sinner, the album still created ripples in the underground LA music scene. It’s been rumored that Frank Ocean used their “Confluence” music video as a reference while writing his world-famous album, Blonde.

2018 saw their release of both Curtis and Lucy, which are almost impossible to find on most streaming platforms. That’s the Catch 22 with The Hellp: their quest for greatness and perfection in their music often leads to both its inaccessibility and a stifling of their musical and artistic process. They claim it took them 14 months and over 90 versions to finish their single “Colorado.” Because to The Hellp, these songs are not just melodies with vocals: they’re independent art forms cementing their place in the innovation of modern-day electronic music and the rejection of the commodification of it. They seem to have the opposite problem of so many lax artists nowadays—they care too much. This has led to over 10 years of being a group, but only a handful of released projects on major streaming platforms.

The metaphorical Hellp field lay fallow for a while, until they released Vol. 1 in 2021, a mix of new and re-released songs. This record would cement them in the underground electronic scene: their two largest songs (by the numbers) are off Vol 1. “Beacon 002”, a half ear-frying, half ear-blessing track from the album, was reported to have been allegedly heard blasting from Kanye’s private jet. If true, it actually creates quite an interesting full-circle moment— Kanye’s “Send It Up” was sampled on the track, and Dillon notes Kanye as being the very first secular CD he bought out of high school. But even with critical acclaim and fanfare beginning to pick up, Lucy and DiIlon seemed unfazed. Dillon has been quoted as saying that he sometimes feels like a “weird handbag” that celebrities can use at their leisure to appear cooler. If anything, the increase in popularity only drove them to further reach for perfection.

“If you say you’re in a band, that means so much. The music better fucking be good, and if not, you’re going to hell.” – Dillon for Wonderland Magazine, ’25

 

 

2021 also saw their release of Enemy, earning them a spot as one of Complex’s “Artists to Watch”. Enemy was then expanded to Enemy Remixed in 2022. Enemy Remixed featured some of The Hellp’s first published collaborations, with artists such as CFCF, damon r., Xiu Xiu, and Club Eat. They then released a single, “meant2be”. It was December 2022 when The Hellp were mentioned in a The Guardian article, earning the label of preceding the “indie sleaze revival”. That term, “indie sleaze,” is a point of contention amongst The Hellp and their fans. Although often lumped together with the pseudo-subgenre and fashion style, they don’t claim it or understand why they are associated with it. They point out that they have been making their unique style of music before indie sleaze was a thing.

 

“People just have to commodify something, right? Especially music, and that was the easiest box to put it in, like, white guys in tight clothes…[indie sleaze] is not something I would really want to be associated with, even though we inherently are, I guess.” – Dillon, &friends interview

 

Whether they’re truly considered “indie sleaze” or not, one thing was clear. The Hellp was finding its footing.

This was further confirmed in 2023, when they signed to Atlantic Records, one of the largest frontline labels of the modern day. After signing, they released their first, and my favorite, single through Atlantic, “California Dream Girl”. There’s one thing The Hellp rarely disappoints on, and it’s music videos (which is no surprise given Dillon’s photographic and art collective background). Many of their videos read (watch?) more like art films than simply pieces to accompany the music. The music video for “California Dream Girl” deconstructs the myth of the American Dream Girl™, the patriarchy, and modern branding imagery, showing flashing images of a girl on a football field, surrounded by dirt, and interacting with Dillon & a gold ring.  By December of 2023, their journal coverage began to increase after NoBells‘ lengthy, well-written profile about them went live. Shortly after, pieces by Byline and The Face (who labeled them as “the last cool band on earth”) followed.

After over 8 years of honing their craft, The Hellp was beginning to receive their flowers. With the increased media attention, their fan base began to grow exponentially. However, while The Hellp was starting to become a more familiar name for many electronic music fans, they still lingered in the territory of “if you know, you know; if you don’t, you don’t”. All being said, 2024 was shaping up to be a huge year for The Hellp…

…and it was. After several singles, October 2024 saw the long-awaited release of LL by The Hellp. The 14-track album was their longest yet (track-wise), and it didn’t take long to receive praise from critics and non-critics alike. The well-renowned music publication Pitchfork gave the release a 7.0, describing the album as the duo “discovering their signature sound in real time”. Ones to Watch detailed the album as a “feeding frenzy for your senses that spikes adrenaline like spinning out on ice”. The album took the building blocks the duo had been building and turned them into a lofty throne they could use to see their impact spread. Shortly after LL‘s release (like, 5 days, shortly), The Hellp began a large headlining US tour, with several dates completely selling out of tickets. In April of 2025, they released LL Revisited, 4 unheard songs previously left off the album (some, such as “Hot Fun”, having been in the works for up to 6 years). It seemed like it was only up from here for Dillon and Lucy.

The Critiques

However, with popularity and acclaim also comes the contrary: hate and criticism. It was in September 2024 when the constructive criticism shifted more into contempt. While in New York for the debut of the music video for “Go Somewhere” and to DJ at a Fashion Week rave, the pair recorded an interview with Rogue. The interview, consisting of Dillon and Lucy breaking down their outfits, was subsequently posted on Instagram, where it strayed away from its target audience. Whether it was from the exorbitant prices on some of their clothing items (Lucy was rocking a $4200 2014 Hedi Slimane YSL jacket, and Dillon was sporting a $5000 Margiela 5 Zip) or the fact that they were both gatekeeping their Bosnian skinny jeans (guys…really?), the video didn’t sit well with many.

The comments reflect the audience’s newfound disdain for the pair, despite it being many viewers’ first time seeing them. The remarks range from “go back to 2009 ya dorks” to violent threats I’d prefer not to repeat (the video is still up if you wish to investigate further). The hate began to spiral, becoming homophobic, labeling them as predatory, and insulting pretty much every aspect of the duo. The video quickly became an inspiration for many memes, spreading beyond The Hellp and out into the vast cyberspace.

The internet took the video and ran with it, labeling The Hellp as pretentious and arrogant (and I admit, it’s not hard to see where they’re coming from). 

But although the larger public had begun to develop a complicated relationship with the band, fans remained loyal. While speaking with Greenline Records, Dillon acknowledges their opinions on the backlash they received.

“We’ve been hated on for many years. Of course, Chandler and I are great targets. If I saw Chandler and I walking around, I’d be like, ‘fuck those guys,’ like I get it. I get we look dismissive from afar, but up close, it’s special.”

While the larger public may scoff at The Hellp’s skin-tight jeans, leather jackets, and high-caliber verbiage they use to describe their work, the fans understand the work ethic and artistry that goes on behind the scenes and how it has shaped the band to be what it is today. Some may be of the mind that their look and way of acting is a way to purposefully draw more people in (ala the internet’s favorite word, “ragebaiting”). Some may think it’s merely a costume to go along with their music, such as Alice Cooper or Kiss’s makeup and clothing. The Hellp continues to reject these claims, with Lucy stating, “This isn’t a conscientious bit. I’ve been wearing skinny jeans since I was 13 fucking years old, dude. You live by the game, you die by the game, that’s all it is.”

Whether you like it or not, there’s one thing that’s for certain—they’re not changing. Despite the hate they’ve received throughout their musical career, none of it has influenced them to change any aspect of their image. They’re unapologetically themselves, and I can respect that. Regardless of the mixed critique for their fashion sense, The Hellp also continues to have an impact on the fashion industry, being spotted at multiple fashion weeks, sitting front row for Ann Demeulemeester during Paris Fashion Week 2025, and even DJing the after party.

Riviera

 

The backstory detailed previously in this article situates us with all the information needed to dive into The Hellp’s most recent release, Riviera. After the releases of three singles (“Country Road” on September 11th, “Doppler” on October 3rd, and “Here I Am” on October 17th), Riviera dropped on November 21st, 2025. Here’s a track-by-track breakdown and lore behind the songs.

Revenge of the Mouse Diva

Drawing its name from an essay about American painter Karen Kilimnik, the opening track begins with a low hum—a light flickering before the album is “turned on”. Following is an ear-catching guitar riff, thunderous drums, and a staticky synth crackle. Dillon’s voice smoothly rides the waves of the beat, a far cry from the energetic vocals of LL. The song’s focus on guitars and drums strays away from the path they had previously been walking (especially with LL and Enemy Revisited), but returns to the sound of familiar, older tracks like “Wingspan” and “Confluence”.

In an interview with NME, the band described Riviera as being “more solemn, restrained and impassioned than anything [they’ve] done before.” This song supports that assertion, with slow vocals and a decrescendo of synths. It still retains some glimpses of the band’s iconic electroclash sound, but it makes it clear that this album will be taking them in a different direction.

It’s also no surprise that with The Hellp’s Americana influence and affinity for LA, the song starts off the album with a reference to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the tangled relationship between fame, choice, and freedom.

“When you live on the Walk of Fame/Don’t forget, you can walk away”

 

Country Road

The first single, “Country Road” has proven itself to be an unforgettable earworm from the album. The track begins with more recognizable electronic beats, but stays on the slower path that “Revenge of the Mouse Diva” set. The song interpolates the John Denver classic of the same name, but instead focuses less on barren country roads and more on packed city streets.

“Country road, take me home/But this ain’t West Virginia/This is LA, I’m on Sunset/Driving home and I’m all alone”

The track stays on Riviera‘s more content route, detailing the paradox of packed cities yet still feeling isolated and lost. The Hellp is looking for a place to call home in the big city, but to no avail. It will not be the last time we see these themes of unfamiliarity and isolation on Riviera.

“But I’m not there and/I never really was but/I’m really not here either”

This song also features vocals from Maggie Cnossen: visual artist, designer of the Riviera album cover, and friend of the duo. Her calm, almost monotone vocals complement Dillon’s pitch and intonation on the track.

Similar to “Revenge of the Mouse Diva”, the song pulls you in slowly, letting you get attached to the melody and lyrics before pushing in with slightly quicker synths and beats. This is a stark difference from the pattern they outlined in LL, usually jumping into the deep end at the beginning of the song. When comparing “Country Road” to one of their older songs, such as “Colorado”, it’s clear to see the direction The Hellp is headed in.

 

 

Pray to Evil

“Pray to Evil” brings both aspects of The Hellp’s sound – electronic and traditional – together. The track starts with the plucking of an acoustic guitar, layered over both electronic blast beats and a steady, thumping tempo. The track continues with Dillon’s slower, sing-speak tone. The instrumental aspects continue to build on each other, slowly forming a sound more familiar to their discography. Vocals continue to layer and beats continue to grow, but the track ends with a slow fade out. While not one of my personal favorites off the album, I can appreciate the musical journey it takes the listener on and how it continues to build on itself.

 

Meridian

This third track on Riviera shares a very similar start to their track “U” off LL— a single, repeated piano note slowly building to a more complex melody, then forming an electronic chorus. The 1:50 mark on this song flips the song on its head so intensely that I had to make sure I was still listening to the same track. It reminded me of the 1:13 mark on the previously-mentioned “Beacon 002” off Vol. 1, a similar complete explosion of sound. The song continues, with lyrics calling back to the themes of isolation and uncertainty.

“Does it feel like/There’s a last call/For the feeling/Of a silhouette”

At this point, the pattern for Riviera is starting to become solidified: slower, simpler production slowly building to a layered crescendo of sound. This layering is only added to by the track’s sampling of “Asking for a Friend” by acclaimed synthpop band CHVRCHES.

The song also builds more on the Americana theme, critiquing American work culture and painting a picture of capitalism-induced hopelessness.

“Make peace again/Make sure you spend/Every dollar you make/Is every dollar they take”

 

 

New Wave America

One of the few songs off the album that the band has released a music video for (featuring Paz de La Huerta!), “New Wave America” breaks the pattern that we thought we had figured out. The song immediately bursts into stuttering electronic beats, the first song on the album that immediately comes off as easily danceable. Although the base synth remains consistent throughout most of the song, it builds on itself in a way that repels repetitiveness. Right when you think you have The Hellp figured out, they continue to show you who is truly in control.

“We came down from above, one life ain’t enough/Lovers turn to dust, new wave America”

Distorted vocals permeate the chorus, taking the listener to a dingy club with dim, flickering lights. Model and visual artist (and specifically the model for the band’s Vol. 1 cover) Sophia Álvarez’s calming voice contrasts with the energetic beat on the latter half of the track, bringing almost trip-pop influences into the mix. This track is one of my personal standouts from the album.

 

 

Cortt

Another track featuring Álvarez’s spoken vocals, “Corrt” continues Riviera‘s obsession with late-night drives, always leading to “aimless nowheres”.  Although it features one of the fastest bpm measurements on the album so far, Cortt manages to balance a more energetic drum track with intimate, calmer vocals (sin Verse 2). The catchy chorus rings out, “it’s a hard drive into the city”, floating above glitchy synths and pumping baselines.

Álvarez’s spoken word portions are particularly interesting to me in this song. Her 6 lines in the beginning describe the monotony of party life, still feeling alone even though surrounded by many people. It’s the moment at the party you step outside and realize no one is waiting for you. It’s the moment where reality hits you all at once, and you have to look around and wonder, “What on earth am I doing?” It’s growing up and looking for something more, but not knowing if there’s anything better than what you already have. It’s coming to terms with modern-day America and looking for a way out of it. The aimless road to an escape, or a “Riviera“, if you please.

Before the final chorus, Álvarez’s droning voice recalls themes of isolation, reminding the listener…

“You are all alone/You are all alone”

 

Modern Man

Before diving deeper into many of the tracks for this review, I had seen a fair share of disdain on the web for this song from fans and new listeners alike. Despite this, I went into listening to the track with open ears and an open heart. The lifting synths were standard of a The Hellp song, but the piano in the last minute of the track took me somewhere else. In multiple interviews with the duo, Dillon shares his love for Bruce Springsteen, which the production of “Modern Man” seems highly inspired by.

The vocals on the track, in my opinion, leave something to be desired. Dillon stays in a strained half-sung/half-spoken tone for most of the track. While it may be another way for The Hellp to stray away from their roots—more energetic, punchy vocals—it’s not for me. The lyrics, on the other hand, are a mixed batch. While not exactly the most creative way of reiterating the point of the song (“This is a modern man/With his modern plans”), I like the trajectory they take us in.

In Cortt, we felt this “stuck” feeling, a fork in the road. “Modern Man” seems to describe one of the options The Hellp sees in the future, a more stable option. However, the “modern man” continues to look like a bleak future, making the listener wonder if there’s a right way forward at all.

“And he’s looking at the back of my head, huh/This is where I’d thought I’d land/I hope you’re out there”

 

Doppler

The second single released off Riviera, “Doppler” starts off slow and calm — an acoustic guitar strikes and soft synths begin. It has a similar slow start to “Country Road”, and Dillon’s voice rides the beat in a similar way. The chorus is soft-sung, flipping the traditional songwriting style of a slower verse and faster chorus. Dillon’s distorted vocals carry the same weight as the suave keys of the synthesizers. Although the lyrics detail lust, heartache, and the downsides of a whirlwind lifestyle, the subdued vocals soften the message and add a layer of bittersweetness.

“You sit so far that my heart commemorates/The feeling/And yesterday was just a feeling (A feeling)”

I write the lyrics, and I’m definitely in the era of my life where the things I used to think were so important and worth fighting for don’t seem as pertinent now. It’s actually a freeing feeling going forward. It’s the same feeling the Existentialists had after World War II—disillusionment is rampant. – Noah Dillon for 032c

When this single dropped, critiques surfaced accusing the band of trying to make their music more digestible in an attempt to go more “mainstream”. Others argued that LL was their attempt to go mainstream, and Riviera is a return to their previous sound. Like many other songs on the record, Doppler has been in the works for quite a while. “Doppler” was one of the offshoots of an old song called “Cherry Knows”, with leaked versions being almost 6 years old at this point. It’s not like The Hellp had a magical epiphany when they joined Atlantic and decided to infiltrate the mainstream with a new sound. The Hellp has taken their time crafting these songs to their liking, and it shows.

“Cherry Knows” from an Instagram Live from over 5 years ago vs. “Doppler” released in 2025 (First audio courtesy of Noah P Dillon Fan Page on Soundcloud)

Here I Am

The third and final single released before the full album dropped, “Here I Am” marks one of the slowest BPMs of The Hellp’s entire discography. A slow, persistent drum beat cuts through the thick air that the song creates. Although beating along at a constant 107 bpm, the punchy and ascending synths combat the gloom and sloth that sometimes can exist with a slower bpm. Maggie Cnossen’s recognizable and soothing valley voice rings out, referencing The Hellp’s seemingly favorite place, LA.

Left photo courtesy of Katie Thurman (@kthurpics on Instagram), video from Dylan Presley Roberts (@dylnprsly on Instagram), Right photo from Jariel (@overblissed on Instagram)

“Here I Am” continues with the previously established Americana theme of the album. The lyrics are theorized by fans to reference the 1949 play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, a story of a man coming to terms with his disillusionment with the American Dream and struggles with identity. If the lyrics truly are referencing this, the track builds on the themes of capitalism-induced melancholy introduced earlier in the album with “Meridian.”

“I’m a salesman/And can’t remember how it began”

 

Live Forever

The closing song on Riviera, “Live Forever” starts its 5-minute run time with somehow soft but also blaring synths, almost resembling an alarm or a crowd cheering loudly. The track slowly builds, then falls again right when you think it is about to pick up. Not surprisingly, as it’s the final song off the album, “Live Forever” consolidates many of the different production and lyrical styles showcased throughout Riviera. At some points, it reminded me a lot of the production style of “Ssx,” and others reminded me more of “Cortt”. I also find Dillon’s vocal performance on this track to be stellar, one of the best off the album overall, in my opinion.

The lyrics of “Live Forever” speak to persisting themes of youth and immortality. The Hellp struggles with the latter mainly, stuck between wanting to experience the joys of youth infinitely but also understanding the liminal state of it and the need to move forward. It’s the same theme we’ve seen throughout the album, being stuck at an impasse and torn attempting to determine the right way forward. With the subject content of the song, some fans online even started to speculate if the song was a nod to Riviera being The Hellp’s final album (although not confirmed anywhere else to my knowledge, just a fan theory).

I don’t want to live forever/With time crippled and caught/The games you play, this ain’t a game/The way that you were living/I don’t want to live forever

Also, another mention of the “hard drive into the city”. Hey, I hate the 405 as much as the next guy, but I think The Hellp may have me beat on this one.

The first song off Riviera to have received an accompanying music video, “Live Forever”‘s video features Dillon’s favorite split-screen format. Flashes of cheerleaders clash with visuals of a man being shot repeatedly, then subsequently, both being covered in blood. If you walk out of a The Hellp music video feeling fully content and understanding what you just witnessed, you may have to rewatch it.

Overall Thoughts & Rating

This album truly was a journey, not only for the fact that each song blends seamlessly into the next, but also for its complicated themes and intricate production styles hiding beneath its “electroclash” exterior. It’s not an album that songs can easily be cherry-picked off of, one must experience the entire 37-minute runtime in order to understand what The Hellp are putting in front of us.

Here are my thoughts. Riviera is an escape: an escape from the band’s past releases weighing them down, people trying to force labels onto them, and, within the album, an escape from Americana and the current landscape. Similar to themes explored partially on “Cortt” and “Modern Man”, the album is limbo embodied. It’s the in-between for The Hellp’s sound, thematic elements, and for their audience. This is not in any way to write it off as an “in between” that should be overlooked, but more as a transitory stage.

The Hellp has been vocal about how they believe their art and ideas have been commodified by the music industry and society in general, with their true intentions being lost along the way. This album seems to be a return to their true form as innovators, refusing to be placed in whatever box they’ve been put in. In previous interviews, The Hellp has said to think of their music as “American”. Not in the Springsteen or Sinatra sense, but in the sense that America is (supposed to be) a place for constant reinvention. They stick true to their word on this project. The Hellp could make 100 more pieces that are simply remakes of LL and Vol. 1, but it’s when experimentation and trueness to themselves are implemented that the band shines.

“I think the band is utopian in that, even though this record is melancholic and sad, you come out of it realizing there’s still a road to be traveled.” – Lucy for 032c, 2025

Because of its structure, I find it hard to give the album an overall score because of how interwoven the songs and themes are. However, if I had to, I would give it a solid 7/10. The highs were high, and the lows were not very low. Even on the songs I didn’t care as much for, there were still elements I could take away from them and be satisfied with. The imagery throughout the album was engaging, the vocal performances were mostly strong, and the overall production was one of the smoothest from them yet. I’m interested to see where they go from here.

Favs: Country Road, Cortt, New Wave America, Here I Am

Links To Listen to Riviera

Apple Music

Soundcloud

YouTube

Deezer

Spotify

Sources