Mini Serrano and Jojo Lavina-Maldonado, the sibling duo behind Philadelphia electronic act Cold Court, grew up in the shadow of Skrillex and 100 gecs. Their new track "Backslang" reflects that lineage while charting its own course through contemporary digital pop production.
The pair's musical DNA reads like a generational marker. Where previous cohorts pointed to Fall Out Boy or My Chemical Romance as formative influences, Cold Court arrived of age amid the rise of dubstep's mainstream breakthrough and hyperpop's bedroom-born experimentalism. That shift matters. It signals how quickly underground electronic music has become the lingua franca for young producers building pop songs today.
Stereogum's coverage highlights "Backslang" as representative of Cold Court's approach. The track presumably blends the kinetic energy of dubstep aesthetics with the pop sensibilities of artists like 100 gecs, who transformed hyperpop into TikTok-friendly earworms. For Cold Court, this inheritance isn't nostalgia but operating procedure.
The cultural moment surrounding Cold Court's emergence fits a broader pattern in indie and alternative music. Artists born in the late 2000s and 2010s bypass the indie rock gatekeeping of previous generations. They sample from electronic music, cloud rap, and experimental pop without apology. Stereogum's bemused acknowledgment of this generational shift reflects how established music criticism grapples with artists who never felt obligated to earn indie credibility through guitar-based apprenticeships.
"Backslang" likely represents the sound of a generation comfortable with digital production as a primary instrument rather than a novelty. Cold Court occupies the same ecosystem where producers like Grimes, Arca, and newer acts like Addison Rae have legitimacy. The sibling dynamic adds another layer. Family bands have always carried appeal, but Cold Court's format allows them to present a unified digital-native vision rather than the traditional rock band template.