overpass - Elsewhere, Always

There’s an argument that the meaning of both “timeless” and “stadium ready” have been somewhat diluted over recent years. Yet, just a few songs into this buzzy debut full-length release from indie upstarts overpass, it’s practically impossible not to reach for either; its early lead up to the otherwise stripped back anomaly ‘Bonnie + Clyde Pt 2’ delivering songs that both hark back to a perhaps forgotten heyday of the genre, as well as ones that are predestined to light up vast stages in the very near future.


It’s an evident combination of not just understanding a sonic style built on huge melodies - perhaps in recent years sharing their musical style with the likes of touring partners Inhaler or Wunderhorse - but of compelling songwriting that otherwise surprisingly sees their press materials list songwriting powerhouses Jeff Buckley and Bruce Springsteen as influences. It’s not a massive reach given the power of the massive ‘Union Station’, the sunset-ready festival moment of ‘Is This Love?’, or the indie-balladry perfection of rousing closer ‘Heaven’; as simple and understated as it is unquestionably electric.


The band’s story speaks of one forged through a disconnect from music as lockdown cancelled their scheduled shows, in turn offering a moment of recollection and an opportunity to reset and find their own sound. The result treads a path laid out by some of the greats, unafraid to lean into the mainstream with anthemic melodic hooks of epic proportion. Timeless and stadium ready indeed.