Roundelay

Moscow-born duo Otvaal (aka Dmitry Gudnichev and Vlad Stepanov) are a curious addition to the global music scene. Roundelay is Gudnichev and Stepanov’s debut full-length, but the pair have been putting out music under the Otvaal moniker since 2018. Their name is derived from Russian internet slang, a by-word for crazy, in a good way, but translates literally as ‘the head falling off’ – and within 40 seconds of starting the record you’ll see just how apt a handle it is.

The duo blows through a huge variety of genres, mixing elements of ambient, electronica, indie, hip-hop and some undeniable pop chops, producing a sound reminiscent of late-noughties bloghouse sung entirely in Russian. The title-track captures the fitfulness and fungibility of the record, blurring from flickering bleeps to deadpan vocals and atmospheric loops, calling to mind the indie-electro experiments of outfits such as Son Lux or Apparat. Post-rave popstar Dasha Ushko appears on ‘Easy Listening’, crooning to an imaginary crowd over a spasmodic backing track. ‘Obliquely’ closes out the set with the heartfelt vocals of Savva Rozanov, aka Synecdoche Montauk, broken up with itchy breakbeats and euphoric instrumentals. It’s a fun, frenzied and cleverly rendered debut.