Overmono – Pure Devotion
Overmono's latest album Pure Devotion offers songs for reflection, whether the calm before the storm or the soul-searching afterwards
Welsh brothers Ed and Tom Russell, better known as Overmono, are becoming the most exciting force in UK dance. Known for their sped up vocals and music-bending sounds that mix electronica with garage and R'n'B, for their second album Pure Devotion, the brothers use analogue technologies to give a warmer, more intimate sound. While they could easily make an album of four-to-the-floor bangers, Pure Devotion is deeper, offering songs for reflection, whether the calm before the storm or the soul-searching afterwards.
Starting with a bang, Lockup opens the record with its driving earworm sampling Birmingham punk band Fast Relief’s What a Waste, at times sounding like an updated version of Mr Oizo’s 90s monster Flat Beat. There are other big bangers like Ballad featuring Rock Floyd and Kindora, the latter who also features on Even Angels Ghost. But it’s not just pushing BPMs. Knight In Shining Prada, featuring John Joseph Holt's spoken word poem, is the heart of the album. A tribute to Holt’s brother Thomas who died by suicide, it moves from intensity to the abandon of the Acid House 303.
For the sun lounger, the car, the house or the club, Pure Devotion is the soundtrack to your summer.
Listen to: Lockup, Knight In Shining Prada, After the Rain