Initially, the duo was never planning to release a remix album, but they were motivated to do so after seeing the remixes others made after they released the stems to 1000 Gecs.[4] In late 2019 it was announced that 100 Gecs was working on a remix album, then-titled 1000 Gecs & Th3 Phant0m M3nac3.[5] In January 2020, 100 Gecs member Laura Les announced that the album would be re-titled, and the new title, 1000 Gecs & The Tree of Clues was announced in February 2020.[6]
The album was finally made available for pre-order on July 3, 2020.[2]
Singles
A remix of "Money Machine" by British producer A. G. Cook was released as the album's first single on October 23, 2019, and was described as "a tripped-out chipmunk-emo-trap anthem".[7] A remix of "745 Sticky" by American hip hop group Injury Reserve was released as November 6, 2019. This remix transforms "the original's bubblegummy assault in to a glitchy creep"[8]
"Ringtone (remix)" was released on February 24, 2020, alongside a "visualizer" music video and features vocals from British singer Charli XCX, British indie pop band Kero Kero Bonito, and American rapper Rico Nasty. Charli XCX's verse in particular was praised for its catchiness.[9] "Gec 2 Ü (Remix)" featuring vocals from American singer-songwriter Dorian Electra, was released on April 10, 2020. A music video, filmed in quarantine, followed on April 20, 2020.[10]
"Stupid Horse (Remix)" featuring British singer GFOTY and DJ Count Baldor was released on May 22, 2020, alongside an animated music video. The remix swaps out the ska-influenced guitars of the original for a "shredder-like synths" described as a "Blink-182 and Sleigh Bells mashup on the verge of implosion."[11]
1000 gecs and the Tree of Clues received critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 81 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]
Ben Jolley of NME praised the album for its "infectious absurdity" and for the diverse array of features, both mainstream and underground, summarising it as "an exhilarating snapshot of pop's alternative future."[18]The Line of Best Fit's Erin Bashford called it "consistently inconsistent" and "a bit of a difficult listen for those not wholeheartedly throwing themselves into the fray," but concluded that "if you want to venture into the abyss, there's a decent amount to marvel at."[17] Ian Gormely, writing for Exclaim!, described the record as "sonic grab bag" but also "a strong rebuke to those who have dismissed the duo as a joke or dilettantes."[16]Pitchfork editor Cat Zhang argued that the remixes make "some of its originals sound like demos," adding that "the guests skillfully mold the originals into creations of their own, while still preserving some of the songs' initial ideas."[20]
