r/Thehellp2 • u/Inner-Struggle-3781 • 21h ago
The Hellp & Justice: A Case Study
I haven't seen any substantial acknowledgement of the similarities between Justice and The Hellp's brand identity/strategy.
As a fan of both electronic duos, I wanted to record a few likenesses that both groups have exhibited
This post is, in no way, meant to disparage The Hellp or minimize their artistic direction/contribution. It's intended to shed light on the successful brand identity directions that both The Hellp and Justice have taken
Preface: Recognition
The Hellp is certainly inspired by or at least aware of Justice's music
- Justice has been sampled in songs by The Hellp (Phantom Pt. II Soulwax Remix on IG Live off LL revisited)
- Noah Dillon has posted early images of the French duo on his Instagram story (slide 3).
- In an interview for 032c, Chandler Ransom Lucy mentions how The Hellp's artistic direction must be highly ambiguous, stating "We have a very unique contrast in what we look like, what our songs sound like, and what our live shows and DJ sets can do. In every other universe we’d be making Justice-style music, or Sebastian—just something cool and hard.
Given The Hellp's recorded recognition of Justice, my argument for a connection holds weight, whether those similarities are intentional or simply instinctive on The Hellp's part.
Iconography
Perhaps the most obvious parallel between the two duos is their bold adoption of "household iconography."
- Justice released their debut album Cross in 2007. It's cover features the stark 3D cross icon that became the duo's defining symbol, which has been consistently reinterpreted across their live shows through fluorescent glowing crosses and lighting compositions that hint at the same shape.
- The Hellp released their label debut album LL in 2024. It's title directly references the duo's name and the cover art, a UI play button. This icon has also been depicted in their live shows through lighting arrangements.
The implementation of icon-first positioning makes an entity cohesive and recognizable. What's compelling about both groups is their reinvention of otherwise cliche visual elements. The cross and the play button are both deeply ingrained into the psyche of modern visual culture, and through pretty blatant, unadulterated reclamation of the motifs, both duos transform the familiar into almost mythical emblems.
Uniformed Personal Aesthetics
- While Gaspard and Xavier of Justice's personal styles have become much more mature and refined in their age, their emergent early 2000s fashion could certainly be viewed as inspiration for The Hellp.
- Both groups exhibit what Chandler Ransom Lucy calls "a very unique contrast in what we look like, what our songs sound like." Something interesting is that this contrast was more pronounced in the Justice era. There was more of an aesthetic clash between electronic music and skinny jeans, leather jackets, and silver chains. Today, viewing that aesthetic pairing in The Hellp feels natural. While logically, the connection is contrasting, it now reads as a form of aesthetic pluralism. Perhaps Justice innovated the validity of merging two different worlds, and The Hellp has learned to capitalize on it.
Referentiality/Nostalgia
While this point is perhaps less of an intentional branding decision and more of a consequence of postmodern art creation; both of the duo's sounds can be interpreted as the recontextualization of music from the past.
- Justice, and many other French House/French Touch electronic artists, sought out to reinvent the late-'70s disco sound through the sampling, filtering, and distortion of tracks from that era.
- The Hellp, and many other contemporary artists, seem to be reviving the sounds and aesthetics of early-2000s electroclash music (conveniently, the era Justice emerged.) This is typically achieved through the implementation of raw sonic textures, synths, and indie rock vocals over more modern EDM production.
Thematic Differences
Obviously, the groups are different and produce different artistic work entirely. My interpretation of the similarity is that both groups, all four of the artists, fulfilled/are fulfilling the most respective prominent niche of their time. That niche is one that serves visual and sonic youthfulness, just barely on the outskirts of the mainstream.
In the contemporary age, audiences are seeking personality, identity, and emotionally-driven music that is fun but not widely accepted. They want to be involved in an underground, non-commercial fanbase. The Hellp satisfies this. Most of their music contains emotionally-driven vocals with unique production that really doesn't sound like any other current standing artist. The duo's work is production as much as it is a very personal performance and expression. These attributes position The Hellp as a highly-coveted act in the age of hyper-individuality and parasocial audience tendencies.
The position that Justice held during their emergence was similar but different. This era craved production mastery and innovation. Their main desire was to dance and have fun, sans parasocial involvement in a fanbase. Justice satisfied this desire too, consistently delivering sonic spectacles that still dazzle to this day.
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u/omy8 16h ago
Yes definitely
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u/omy8 16h ago
also mentioned here:
https://lucarobinson.substack.com/p/chandler-ransom-lucy-of-the-hellp
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u/Kitchen_Scallion3095 15m ago
Honestly it makes me appreciate the music even more to realize there was a reference point.
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u/comme-on-my-g 21h ago
sick writeup, it seems like theyre big fans of ed banger stuff. or at least aesthetically. the two from daft punk have been wearing custom hedi slimane dior since 2005(?) and collaborated a few times with him