Mondo Love & Betrayal [LP]

Mondo Love & Betrayal - Mondo Love & Betrayal [LP]

For Mondo Love & Betrayal, a duo formed of Neil ‘Nail’ Tolliday and Henry Claude Scott, the spark that lit their musical partnership was a shared love of classy synth-pop and the colorful and creative end of 1980s dance-pop, it was an urge to scratch that itch, as much as a mutual admiration for each other’s work, that initially brought them together. It would be fair to say that Tolliday and Scott have trodden different musical paths over the course of their respective careers. Tolliday, under the now familiar Nail alias and many others besides (A.M Vibe, Lucky Lime, and Smoke to name just three), has become a respected figure on the UK electronic underground, renowned not only for the quality of his dancefloor-focused deep house productions (he was once a part of the extended DIY family) but also his passion for boundary-blurring experiments and albums of unusual electronica. He was, of course, also a member of renowned downtempo duo Bent alongside long-term collaborator Simon Mills. Scott, on the other hand, is a guitarist, producer – and now reticent but talented frontman – who cut his teeth playing jazz. He initially rose to prominence via his Torn Sail collaboration with singer-songwriter Huw Costin, with the pair delivering folksy blasts of downtempo and Balearic brilliance for labels including Claremont 56 and NuNorthern Soul. Scott emphasized his musical credentials further alongside another fellow Nottingham resident and Constellations Workshop regular John ‘Ming’ Thompson as Brown Fang. The duo’s two albums to date blur the boundaries between downtempo, ambient, Balearic, krautrock, and American minimalism, offering up sublime instrumental soundscapes. When Tolliday and Scott first joined forces in the studio to record ‘Correspondence’, the song that inspired the wider Mondo Love & Betrayal project, it was obvious that a natural meeting point between their styles and influences was not only possible, but something they were both enthusiastic to pursue. Tolliday was keen to explore his own synth-pop influences while utilizing Scott’s emotive and expressive falsetto vocals. As for Scott, it was a chance to showcase his songwriting skills and a more accessible, instinctive sound alongside an electronic music producer whose work he has admired for a long time. A1. Boo Boo A2. Correspondence A3. Your Latest A4. Brought Me Back Home A5. Beyond The Rainy City B1. Here's Why You're Different B2. Seppuku B3. Across The Plane B4. Whatever Happened to Me B5. Muscle Memory