- Spacey pads, breakbeats and plenty of feeling.
- Since forging their creative union in 2014, fraternal rave disciples Tessela and Truss have watched contemporary dance floors lean closer toward their vision. Spacey pads, breakbeat rushes and welting hardcore kicks are currently commonplace. In Overmono's hands, these elements are wielded with a specialist's touch to heighten the emotional contours of a night out, rather than being deployed as cheap novelties. It is from this vantage point—at the fringe of a rave, knowing the playbook—that the duo send out their best work yet.
"iii's Front" represents the kind of ramping-up you might get from a DJ flexing at peak-time. Spasmodic drum workouts have jolted many dance floors with energy this year, with labels like Timedance and Par Avion dedicated to their impact. "iii's Front"'s jazzy flair is especially gripping, as if it's taking place live in front of you. The song tingles with anticipation, before breaking into marching band-style rhythmic precision, with occasional intrusions of effects to signal that this is still a club track. A breather only ups the tension: a lone hi-hat sizzles in the darkness as wavering pads descend like UFOs, before the drums crash back with double the effects and double the intensity.
"Quadraluv" is more in hock to '90s revivalism, but with an emotional resonance tricky to get right without coming off as schmaltzy. It brings to mind the mood, momentum and muggy quality of Burial and Four Tet's "Moth," a track built for locked-in dancers simultaneously experiencing mental cloudiness and clarity. Sonorous piano notes fall into place like dewdrops, tugging the track at a pace behind its actual BPM, as a catchy bassline pulses below. Only in the final half, with an injection of soft-focus breaks, does it ever really feel like a pumper.
If "Quadraluv" nails the glow of warmth and unity felt at a good party in its later stages, "Yell0w_Tail" is one for when the fug begins to clear and it's time to head home. While a spiralling keyboard in the background is pleasant, it could have been more prominent, so the track feels slight compared to the preceding pair. Yet this doesn't drag down an overall strong package. Whities 019 is a record that neatly summarises 2018's prevailing tropes, and bests most of them.
TracklistA1 iii's Front
B1 Quadraluv
B2 Yell0w_Tail