Since joining forces as Overmono in 2016, Welsh brothers Tom and Ed Russell have gained a reputation as one of the UK’s most promising electronic acts. The pair were already esteemed producers in their own right: Tom as techno producer Truss and Ed making drum and bass under the alias Tessela. Together they turn their efforts from their underground beginnings to something altogether more pop-focused and accessible.
Breaking out into the mainstream can be tricky but it’s something Overmono have fine-tuned over the years, most notably with 2021 track “So U Kno”, a deliriously catchy festival favourite – and one of the most listened-to tunes of the summer. On their full-length debut Good Lies – out today – the pair pay homage to their dance music roots across 12 euphoric tracks, where acid synth lines and chopped-up vocals are stripped to their most elemental, with beats taking on an almost functional role. The title track “Good Lies” is blissful radio-friendly pop featuring vocals from Norwegian act Smerz, while “Calling Out” samples Slowthai and CASISDEAD over icy two-step. It’s the sort of minimalist, club sound that you’d expect to hear on the big stage at festivals – Overmono have described their debut album as “a letter of love to the journey so far [that also] marks where we want to take things” – so get your summer playlists locked in.
Elsewhere, Aespa share a third mini album, RP Boo drops his first release in ten years, and London sister duo Waterbaby unveil a mystical debut.
