"They have the pipes – this is undeniable."
Brooklyn duo Overcoats have stepped out guns blazing for their second album, The Fight. The latest from Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell, the new release steps more into the realm of blasting guitar and drums – a new direction to the band's debut release, Young.
While Mitchell and Elion’s harmonies are an aural delight, the constant dual vocals admittedly become predictable and overused after just a few tracks. A song like The Fool is a joyous electro-pop jam in isolation, but feels repetitive within the context of the album as a whole. They have the pipes – this is undeniable – but without the opportunity for each vocalist to showcase their own abilities, their harmonies become rather uninteresting after a while. When something slightly different comes along – such as the monotonal Apathetic Boys – the relief kickstarts that sense of poppy, punchy invigoration.
All in all, there is a lot of fun to be had in The Fight, and it is clear in the production that the duo had plenty of fun themselves in making the record. It’s uncomplicated, untarnished pop music from a forgotten era. Taken in small doses, this makes for a solid follow-up release for the band.