Monster Florence - Borstal (Official Video)

Having recently ended their two-year hiatus with the unapologetic single ‘Relax’, featuring legendary punk poet and fellow Colchester resident John Cooper Clarke and playlisted on Kiss Fresh, Monster Florence continue their vibrant form with the groove-filled new effort ‘Borstal’.

Bringing back more of that fresh and inventive direction they are known for, that looks to blend blistering hip-hop energy with a more distinctive and robust aesthetic, ‘Borstal’ sees them unveil one of their most original offerings to date. Channelling a smooth and shimmering production that bounces effortlessly off their broad and driven flows throughout, they are once again breaking boundaries and conventions with this enigmatic new gem.

Speaking about the new release, the group’s Dream Mclean said, “The main idea behind Borstal came about from the feeling of being stuck in time, kind of like a Groundhog Day situation where you’re imprisoned in a moment and you feel like you’re not moving. You’re in a perpetual cycle of being stuck in bad habits, and we wanted to put those sentiments into a song".

Hailing from 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.