Overmono’s Pure Devotion is a record about letting go of control. Since the release of Good Lies in 2023, Tom and Ed Russell have become one of the most prominent acts in contemporary electronic music, taking their emotionally charged blend of UK garage, jungle, techno, rave and experimental club music to increasingly large stages. Rather than simply attempting to recreate that success, however, Pure Devotion finds the brothers deliberately loosening their grip on the polished, euphoric sound that made them so popular.
That sense of experimentation is apparent in the album’s production. Overmono have spoken about deliberately introducing imperfections into the recording process, using old speakers, tape manipulation, unusual effects and unconventional recording techniques to give the music a more physical quality. It is a fitting approach for a duo whose music has always been about the relationship between electronic precision and human emotion. Tracks such as ‘Lockup’ and ‘Barum’ still possess the rhythmic momentum of their earlier work, but there is more space around the percussion and synths, while the rougher textures prevent the production from feeling overly pristine.
Overmono have always used voices as crucial components of their sound, but on Pure Devotion they increasingly allow collaborators to become central characters rather than simply sources of samples. ‘Even Angels Ghost’, featuring Kindora, is one of the strongest examples, pairing her vulnerable vocal performance with Overmono’s atmospheric production. ‘Knight In Shining Prada’, meanwhile, features poet John Joseph Holt and deals with the death of his brother, giving the album an emotional weight that is considerably more direct than the fragmented vocal samples of their earlier work.
That shift towards songwriting is likely to divide listeners. Some of the album’s most memorable moments come from its collaborations, while elsewhere the more prominent vocals can feel slightly forced against the duo’s production. Online reaction has been similarly split, with some listeners praising the record’s variety and emotional depth while others have criticised its vocal-heavy approach and compared it unfavourably with Good Lies. That comparison is difficult to avoid because Good Lies was such a focused record: it managed to combine rave euphoria, pop accessibility and underground credibility with remarkable consistency. Pure Devotion is less immediately cohesive, and several of its shorter tracks feel more like sketches or fragments than fully developed club compositions.
Yet that lack of consistency is also part of what makes the album interesting. Overmono have reached a point where they could easily repeat the formula that made them successful, but instead Pure Devotion feels like an attempt to discover what exists beyond it. The record is less concerned with delivering constant peaks and more interested in atmosphere, intimacy and the imperfections of the recording process.
Listen to Pure Devotion:
