Everything U Need

Overmono—brothers Ed and Tom Russell, aka Tessela and Truss—had two of 2019’s biggest underground club records. They paired wistful pads with quick-stepping breaks to dramatic effect on “Le Tigre,” then teamed up with Joy Orbison on the throbbing “Bromley,” a heads-down anthem prone to moments of hands-in-the-air abandon. If 2020 had not been so unkind to dance floors, their *Everything U Need* EP would likely have assumed its place right alongside their earlier smashes on discerning DJs’ USB sticks. “Aero” surges ahead, fueled by voluminous hoover bass and a one-note syncopation reminiscent of the nagging riff at the center of “Bromley”; “Clipper (Another 5 Years)” pairs a lithe breakbeat rhythm with warm synths that split the difference between Boards of Canada and Border Community. But all four tracks have a lush, almost psychedelic energy that makes them just as fitting for home listening. The drums on “Aero” ride low in the mix, conveying just a hint of flashing hi-hat; the title track’s lurching arpeggio is offset by gauzy chords. The breakbeat-driven “Verbosa” might be the most sumptuous of the lot, smuggling understated drum ’n’ bass rhythms inside the folds of velvety detuned chords. Shot through with emotion, this powerful EP strikes a balance between solitary reflection and dance-floor communion.

On their latest EP, the UK dance duo amp up their latent melancholy, luxuriating in a rather British strain of pastoral electronica.