Fur Coat

After the runaway success of Fur Coat's early singles on influential contemporary house label Crosstown Rebels, it would have been easy for the Venezuelan duo of Sergio Muñoz and Israel Sunshine to simply duplicate their formula on their anticipated debut, Mind Over Matter. While you will find deep, ominous bass lines, tripped-out vocals and concise percussion patterns tailor-made for the Rebel sound on "Pettit Pillow," featuring Rap Lisa, "Going Nowhere," with Stee Downes, and "Understand What I Do," with Big Bully, it's when the South Americans stretch their boundaries on cuts like "Change Resistance," "This is the End" and "Spirit" that the debut takes shape. Coming after the album's interlude, the West coast-influenced synth line of "Spirit" plays off the duo's brooding bass perfectly without stepping too far out of their comfort zone, while "Change Resistance" drops the tempo and works as a simple late night melody. Fur Coat have definitely established their identity on Mind Over Matter, now it will be interesting to see where they take it.