Monster Florence ft: John Cooper Clarke - Relax (Single)
Following on from the release of their highly-praised EP ‘Cowboys & Idiots’ in 2020, British alternative Hip-hop band Monster Florence have made their long-awaited return to deliver their unapologetic new single ‘Relax’, featuring legendary punk poet and fellow Colchester resident, John Cooper Clarke.
‘Relax’ sees Monster Florence explode back onto the scene with one of their most anarchic releases to date. Inviting the iconic John Cooper Clarke along for the ride, the brotherhood cement themselves as the most vital UK Hip-hop act on the scene right now, brimming with charisma and bubbling drive throughout.
Speaking about the new offering, they said, “the track came to be out of a typically sporadic piece of inspirational genius from John who, during an innocent conversation with us uttered the hallowed words… Relax, nothing is under control. It seemed playful yet so powerful, at which point we immediately knew we had something special, and we set about fusing his one liner into a track we were producing.”
Hailing from Colchester, Essex, the six-member band officially formed in 2015. What originally started off as a few studio sessions between producer Tom and vocalist Alex Osiris, who at the time was a buzzing solo artist on the hunt for some new tracks, soon turned into a full-blown musical project. However, Tom says it took a lot of convincing Alex before he finally stopped by his Rowhedge studio. “He thought it was just a bedroom set-up,” Tom remembers, “but once he saw that it was a professional studio, his attitude changed and so did how often he came by. He was there all the time.”
One of the pair’s first times working together saw Alex bring along long-time friends and fellow rappers Dream Mclean and Wallace Rice. The session also featured a surplus of live musicians, including drummer Cameron Morrell and multi-instrumentalist Jonny Poole. “It was a little overwhelming,” Dream admits, taken aback by the number of creatives in the studio at one time. But as the sessions went on, the number of musicians got progressively smaller until just six remained: Alex, Dream, Wallace, Tom, Jonny and Cameron. The same line-up that makes up Monster Florence today.