Highly anticipated would be an understatement; since their inception Overmono have purposefully cultivated a fanbase that heralds them as one of the UK’s most original contemporary live electronic acts.
A run of ground-breaking club EPs between 2020 and 2022 built momentum and culminated in their breakthrough club single, “So U Kno”, which encapsulated the hearts of clubbers and went on to become a bonafide phenomenon as dancefloors re-opened; featuring in end of year lists published by Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, DJ Mag and Mixmag. Since then, Overmono have been named ‘Best Live Act’ at the prestigious DJ Mag Best of British Awards, taken their custom audio-visual live show to the most credible festivals across the globe, including Glastonbury, Movement Festival, Dekmantel and to sold-out crowds in London, LA and NYC as part of their debut headline tour last year. And, they have produced innovative releases including their instalment of their ‘Fabric Presents’ DJ mix series and collaborations with the likes of Joy Orbison.
Now, Overmono return to present their most ambitious release to date. Across the twelve-track project, Overmono journey through a powerful distillation of their musical career so far; incorporating “So U Kno” alongside new music that propels them beyond the dancefloor. Good Lies remoulds and interweaves captivating vocal cuts into a series of multi-genre electronic sounds that flits effortlessly between euphoria and melancholy.
Talking about their debut album Good Lies, Overmono says: “Across the last two years, we have spent so much time on the road, making music whenever we could. Moving around all the time was always really inspiring and got us experimenting a lot and having fun with how we created chords or chopped and pitched vocals. This album is really a letter of love to the journey so far and marks where we want to take things. Much love, T&E x
STAFF COMMENTS
Ethan says: ‘Good Lies’ opens with what could easily be mistaken for a scrapped 2020 Charli XCX instrumental – chopped cutesy vocals, bubble-gum bass passages, the occasional eclectic SOPHIE-esque drum pattern. This may seem undermining, but only reflects the current trajectory of the Welsh duo – a clear path to the (metaphorical) electronic hall of fame.
There’s brilliant runs of hit-after-hit throughout this album that somehow convinced my musically-blind (and likely tone-deaf) dad that he wanted to start DJing. But when you’ve got songs like “Cold Blooded” and “Skulled” transitioning perfectly into each other, it’s not hard to see why. The title track is one of the biggest mood-lifters I’ve heard in a good while and I think it’s a crime that I’ve not heard it played in more clubs this year. However, some of the album's greatest strengths lie in its alternative R&B and even ambient passages – which feels almost polarising to say when considering the club potential of tracks like “Is U” and “‘So U Know”. “Arla Fearn” functions as a breather between the bangers that open the album up, with its droning pads and bass-driven instrumental, but there’s still a bouncy feel to the drums here that keeps the energy flowing. The snappy snare with its trail of reverb is a really satisfying piece of production. “Vermonly” definitely runs with the ambient ideas as well, with the drums being subdued for once and lead cycling through a glossy motif.
And to top it all off, there’s a cool dog on the cover. That should sell you on the album alone!
TRACK LISTING
1. Feelings Plain
2. Arla Fearn
3. Good Lies
4. Walk Thru Water
5. Cold Blooded
6. Skulled
7. Sugarushhh
8. Calon
9. Is U
10. Vermonly
11. So U Kno
12. Calling Out
