Overmono are among the most intriguing names in the new British electronic scene. Not exactly reinventing the wheel, the brothers Tom and Ed Russell have assembled in a few years a strong slate of house, UK garage, and techno bangers, paying close attention to both the sound and the concept of their records. On “Pure Devotion,” their second album, they expand that formula while staying refreshingly current.
The record springs from their spectacular live show, here transformed into an album that alternates between playfulness, rhythm, and a great deal of production work. “Pure Devotion” is bookended by two techno-house bangers, “Lockup” and “After the Rain.” The former, built around a Mr. Oizo sample, has divided their fanbase, yet even if it isn’t “So U Kno,” it remains another very enjoyable Overmono single.
The instrumental developments are once again meticulously crafted in tracks like “Even Angels Ghost,” which pairs Kindora’s vocals with melodic trance synths, beautiful and textured with granular surfaces. Both the tributes to UK garage in “Slowmotion” and “Gem Lingo,” as well as the tracks that lean more directly toward the dancefloor, such as the festive “Laxbrook,” are well calibrated in tension and packed with subtle production details.
The problem is that some musical decisions still borrow too much from the past. There’s “Knight in Shining Prada,” which fuses John Joseph Holt’s spoken word—admittedly a bit grating at times—with synths that feel plucked from Daft Punk’s manual. “Lockup” and “Ballad” especially remind that Tom and Ed Russell share their name with the members of The Chemical Brothers: the resemblance is almost too obvious. There’s also a Burial-like treatment of the vocals in “Barum,” one of the album’s more downtempo tracks.
On the other hand, while Overmono continue to operate as electronic producers, they don’t shine as brightly as crossover-hit auteurs. At least, not this time. The songs on “Pure Devotion” are very well structured for a dancefloor, but it’s hard to imagine many of them working just as well outside that context. Even when they pursue more accessible melodies, Overmono remain a bit too comfortable within club electronics codes.
Their principal virtue remains that balance between fun and craft. The productions are crystal-clear and rich in resources, yet never murky. Each element has its place and can be heard with considerable clarity. “Mialon,” with its dense trip-hop approach, works especially well: a small Pandora’s box of textures that opens up gradually.
“Pure Devotion” doesn’t invent a new language for electronic music, but it does assemble a solid roster of songs within its own idiom. Overmono navigate with ease influences ranging from UK garage to Burial, from Daft Punk to The Chemical Brothers, and know how to transform them into punchy, detail-rich productions. The flaw is that they still sound more convincing within their own genre than when they attempt to break away from it. The electronic Dobermans can’t quite shake the leash.
