Elite Gymnastics, self-described as a "multimedia art project", was an electronic music duo from Minneapolis, Minnesota and later a solo project from Vancouver, British Columbia. Formed in Minneapolis in 2009 as the duo of James Brooks and Josh Clancy, Elite Gymnastics self-released several EPs and mixtapes before Clancy's departure in 2012. As a duo, they released seven EPs for which Brooks can be credited with most of the songwriting and musical production and Clancy with most of the album artwork: Real Friends, Neu! '92, Gizzard Greens V.1, Gizzard Greens V.2, Ruin, Ruin 3, and Ruin 4. Gizzard Greens is a digital double EP in the style of remix albums, featuring a cover of Cheryl's "Parachute" and a mashup combining Sub Focus' remix of Rusko's "Hold On" with Blame's "Piano Takes You" on the first volume, and bootleg remixes of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" and Waka Flocka Flame's "Fuck the Club Up" on the second. The Ruin EP was well-received by Pitchfork magazine and given a 7.8 album review rating, and was released to critical acclaim among a number of smaller publications which quickly attracted a cult following online. Ruin saw a physical release in vinyl format under the electronic label Acéphale, with the B-side being five remixed versions of A-side tracks. Previous albums were self-released online in digital format for free through their Tumblr-based imprint Psychedelic Surf Club. Ruin and Ruin 2 were later self-released for free download as a digital double EP. Ruin 4 includes "Life/Trap" and "We Got Lost", two previously unreleased tracks which didn't make it onto the Ruin EP, and a rerecorded version of Ruin's "Little Things" as a hidden track. The name Elite Gymnastics was taken from the lyrics of "Ruthless Babysitting" by power electronics group Whitehouse.
Josh Clancy's departure
Following a 2012 tour as a supporting act for Sleigh Bells, Elite Gymnastics became Brooks' solo project with Clancy parting ways after a reportedly tumultuous experience on the road. "Our personal relationship is kinda kaput for the time being," Brooks describes in a Tumblr post detailing some of the reasons for continuing the project solo. Brooks continued the project solo, relocating to Vancouver following a stint in New York City, releasing the single "Andreja 4-Ever" as part of the Adult Swim Singles Program the same year. The solo form of Elite Gymnastics only saw the release of single "Andreja 4-Ever" and a couple of remixes before Brooks decided to rename the project; first to Dead Girlfriends, then to Default Genders.
The release of single "On Fraternity" from the "Stop Pretending" debut EP, in association with the name change to "Dead Girlfriends", caused a substantial amount of controversy and prompted a series of articles by various publications and an online round table discussion by Spin magazine. Brooks rechristened the project "Default Genders" shortly thereafter.
2015-2019: Eponymity
During a four-year period following relocation to Los Angeles, California, Brooks released a series of demos and bootleg remixes on SoundCloud eponymously, but none have been made available for download.
On February 4, 2019, Brooks released a second full-length Default Genders album titled Main Pop Girl 2019, which includes a track featuring pop artist No Rome, updated versions of demos previously released eponymously, and an updated version of "Sophie" from Magical Pessimism 2014 featuring artist Beth Sawlts. The album was reviewed favorably by Pitchfork magazine, receiving an 8.0 rating.
On April 20, 2020, Brooks released a new full-length Default Genders album titled Pain Mop Girl 2020, which consists mostly of guest-remixed and reworked versions of Main Pop Girl 2019 songs, but also features two original songs as the opening tracks.
Discography
Elite Gymnastics
Extended plays
Real Friends
Gizzard Greens V.1
Gizzard Greens V.2
Neu! '92
Ruin
Ruin 2
Ruin 3
Ruin 4
Singles
"Life/Trap"
"Andreja 4-Ever"
Unreleased songs
"Real Love "
"I Just Wasn't Paying Attention"
"Walls"
Note: "I Just Wasn't Paying Attention" is an early version of "We Got Lost" from Ruin 4.
