Ovoid - Yea Boi EP

Adam Westover aka Ovoid is vaulting into 2018 with two EPs to follow his full-length debut last year. The downtempo LP Life was a passion project that revealed his artistic persona. His next release Abstraction teased a transition to an uptempo style that now has free reign on the Yea Boi EP, his latest release through Addictech Records. At a clipping pace, Ovoid is demonstrating the breadth of his artistic capacity while cleaving close to his influences and developing his core sound.

Yea Boi is just two tracks, the first an irreverent tune called “Ranch” with a stoner metal vibe and a tight, close-to-the-vest acoustic guitar. Adam has been quite enamored with the guitar since youth, even joining a stoner metal band in high school. The influence of this early project is felt most strongly in the song’s final third, when the harsh twangs of the reverb-laden guitar counter the formerly dominant dampened plucks. The sound of rock drums to finish measures in this section also contributes to the metal taste, and is a breath of fresh air in a largely squelchy and farty track. This opener lacks a storyline progression, but manages to be interesting and weird enough to stand on its own.

The second track is the main dish. Grounded once again in the guitar, Ovoid transitions to a more engaging mood, giving us a longer buildup of sound design moments and pitch-bent sampling. With a nod to early psychedelic rock via tanpura (the subtle droning string support to the sitar), we find the track spin into a metallic breakdown full of gnarled strings heavy with the weight of rock n' roll; this pairs quite well with the squeals of the highs. While Yea Boi could be seen as old-vs-new – from the beginning we see the guitar compete with the synthesizers for ear time – it is in the welter and waste of artful distortion and reverb that the combo truly thrives. While “Ranch” gets to this space jocularly, “Yea Boi” is more revelatory, showcasing the true power of psychedelic metal in a dance music context.

With this latest release, Ovoid is more firmly established as a glitch aesthete with guitar chops and a penchant for heavy waves of steel vibration. His earlier music stands as a testament to the emotional depth that his talents can express, while his new releases demonstrate that he can knock out dancefloor bangers with a vengeance. With another two tracks out for him to stand behind, Ovoid has more skin in the game and continues to add to an evolving story of interlocking influences unfolding before our very ears.

You can purchase the music through Addictech Records. 

FOLLOW Ovoid:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp   /   Instagram   /   Spotify

Ovoid - Abstraction EP

(Artist: An original painting by Bild & Elaine Alonzo, digitally rinsed by Bild)

The Abstraction EP from Washington native Ovoid is an omnitempo journey through surrealistic sound presented by Elliptic Audio Research, the cutting edge psychedelic imprint from Seattle, WA. Coming on the heels of the artist’s debut album Life, from May of this year, the Abstraction EP showcases at first Ovoid’s riveting uptempo offering, then dives into the psychedelic downtempo noire that is his signature.

The first two tracks combine the cerebral indulgence of neuro glitch-hop sound with the danceability and driving rhythm of drum and bass. “Drimb” begins on the inside of a computer interface, beeping a buzzing around a rich bass heartbeat. Tension builds and releases into a rapid groove punctuated with countless sonic details. The percussion is unique, with a muted kick and no traditional snare to speak of. Within these DnB tunes, Ovoid uses traditional percussion samples not as the basis of a beat, but as fills at the end of a measure, adding an acoustic touch to a thoroughly electric and synthesized soundscape. The title track featuring Amnea dives straight into the action, revisiting the computer interface for further data entry. The amount of varied, unique and varnished sonic details - screeches here, saw waves there, color everywhere - is truly impressive, creating an involved take on DnB. 

"Weasel" sounds just as good as one would imagine a bass music tune called "Weasel" could sound; even better, in fact. A jazzy lead melody is borne out over a mid-tempo groove by a flute. After a brief and quiet visit to the computer interface, the track descends into a groove with the melody taking the lead, this time sung by a crunchy synthesizer instead of a flute, though the woodwind makes a reprise to converse with a soaring electric guitar later. The flute also makes a return in the EP's final track, "Prince of Darkness" a spooky, waltzing tune that in tempo and tenor is far from where the EP began. Ovoid uses the flute, less as a thin, accompanying sample and more as a lead instrument, which refreshes the palate when taken with such a thoroughly electronic meal. 

Ovoid's offering is true to its name, a musical abstraction that allows one to depart momentarily from his or her usual atmosphere and into a world of colorful, half-conceptualized thoughts borne out in melody. The production prowess displayed by Ovoid will not be lost on the diligent listener, and the material is truly so unique that it can be revisited over and over again, and unlike the avocado which you just bought ripe yesterday, it will still be fresh. 

FOLLOW Ovoid:   Website   /   Facebook   /   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp   /   Instagram