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