Overgrown: Pola & Bryson Reflect on Their Fourth Album and Future-Classics

Introduction

As 2025 draws to a close, Pola & Bryson pause to look back on their fourth studio album, Overgrown, and a FABRICLIVE mix that already feels like a future classic in drum & bass. The fifteen-track LP blends festival-ready anthems with deeper, more introspective cuts, highlighting how far the duo have come as producers and songwriters.

Album concept and sound

The title Overgrown reflects the way structured, precise drum programming intertwines with expansive, evolving soundscapes across the record. The pair describe the sound as a meeting point between clean, rigid rhythm and lush, sprawling atmospheres, giving the impression of a man‑made structure slowly being overtaken by nature.

Harry explains that the name emerged from the music itself: the mix of acoustic and organic textures with digital and electronic elements suggested images of buildings consumed by greenery. For the duo, this balance between human and natural, tight and wild, became symbolic of the album’s overall character.

Writing process and evolution

Overgrown was written over more than two years, capturing a wide span of ideas and moods from the duo’s evolving creative period. Unlike their previous album Beneath The Surface, which grew out of a visual concept built during lockdown, the new record is rooted in experiences of travelling, club shows, and real‑world connection.

Jack notes that some tracks on the album have surprisingly long histories, with pieces like “Aurora” originating even before Beneath The Surface. This long gestation allowed older ideas to be reworked and refined through the lens of their current sound and studio approach.

Tracks and artistic range

Fans were first introduced to the project through “Phoneline” featuring Emily Makis, released as a single in 2024 and quickly becoming a sing‑along drum & bass favourite. The track combines sharp percussion, atmospheric design, gritty details, and a memorable vocal, and it continues to energise dancefloors well after release.

The album also explores more underground territory on tunes like “Magic” and “Temple Stomp”, where the duo lean into darker grooves and stripped‑back club energy. Taken together, the tracklist forms one of the clearest snapshots of the modern Shogun Audio aesthetic, balancing accessibility with depth.

Collaborations and influences

A strong cast of collaborators contributes to the record’s sense of growth and variety, pushing Pola & Bryson into fresh territory. Break brings his famously tight and punchy drum & bass production, sharpening the low end and percussion, while MPH guides them into less familiar stylistic zones and tempos.

Vocal performances also play a crucial role: IYAMAH adds soulful richness to “Want It”, Jelani Blackman injects extra attitude into “Stampede”, and Kelli‑Leigh’s voice contrasts powerfully with the heavy beats on “The One I Need”. These features help the album feel like a fully realised world rather than a straightforward collection of club tools.

Studio, space and sonics

The environment in which Overgrown was created had a clear impact on its sound, from the room itself to the equipment and monitoring setup. The duo acknowledge that this space gave the music more physical weight, particularly in the low frequencies and drums.

Working with highly skilled collaborators streamlined their process too, as certain producers favoured speed and instinct at early stages before refining details later. This workflow matched Pola & Bryson’s own preference for capturing an idea quickly, then carefully sculpting it into its final form.

Playing the album out

After a full summer of testing Overgrown in clubs and festivals, the duo remain genuinely excited to play the tracks in their sets. Harry mentions that, unlike past projects where fatigue would set in, he still enjoys hearing and performing these tunes night after night.

Jack adds that he usually finds at least one track he would like to remix or rebalance after some time, but with Overgrown he does not feel that way about any of them so far. For now, the album still sounds fresh to their ears, which reinforces their confidence in the final mixes and arrangements.

Moments of euphoria

Among the high‑energy selections, there are also calmer, more reflective pieces that shift the pace of their DJ sets. One particular tune slows everything down just enough for the crowd to breathe, creating a shared moment where both artist and audience can step back and take in the experience.

In these passages, the focus moves away from technical mixing and toward connection, with the music offering a brief pause before diving back into full‑throttle drum & bass. Pola & Bryson see these moments as essential to the emotional arc of both the album and their shows.

Meaning of Overgrown

Harry describes the Overgrown concept as a metaphor for the way natural and synthetic, old and new, intertwine in their music. Acoustic instruments and organic textures sit alongside digital synths and processed drums, like vines creeping across a concrete surface.

This visual idea of a man‑made environment slowly reclaimed by nature aligns with the album’s balance of order and chaos. It also mirrors the duo’s creative journey, as years of technical discipline are now interwoven with instinctive, emotionally driven choices.

What they hope listeners feel

When asked what they want people to take away from Overgrown, Harry focuses on a simple but powerful answer: euphoria. The aim is to spark the urge to dance, to feel something strongly, and to lose yourself for a while, whether in a field at a festival or in a club.

The duo wanted to craft a record they would love to hear outdoors themselves, recapturing some of the excitement they felt as younger fans discovering new sounds. For them, the album channels that sense of escapism and shared energy that first drew them to drum & bass.

FABRICLIVE mix and future‑classic status

Alongside the album, Pola & Bryson have also delivered a FABRICLIVE mix that already carries the aura of a future classic within the scene. It extends the world of Overgrown into a long‑form DJ narrative, folding their own tracks among complementary selections.

Together, the album and mix capture where the duo stand at the end of 2025: confident in their sound, comfortable stretching across moods, and focused on connecting with listeners on dancefloors worldwide. This period marks a significant milestone in their catalogue, hinting at even more growth to come.

“A sense of euphoria, I think. That desire to dance, to feel something. It sounds simple, but that’s really it – to move, to connect. Maybe even to go a bit mad at a festival.”

“We wanted to make something we’d want to hear in a field ourselves. That euphoria, that escapism – that’s what music’s all about.”

Author’s summary

Overgrown captures Pola & Bryson at their most confident and expansive, merging natural warmth with precise club power to deliver a euphoric drum & bass album built for crowds, fields and late‑night headphones alike.

UKF — 2025-11-29