As 2025 winds down, Pola & Bryson take a second to breathe – reflecting on their fourth album and a future-classic FABRICLIVE mix.
The album, ‘Overgrown’, might just be their best work yet. Fifteen tracks, and loaded with a range of anthems and deeper cuts – it’s a showcase of their development in production and songwriting. The title feels fitting too – its sound is both structured and sprawling, built on clean, rigid drum work overlaid with lush, evolving soundscapes.
Written across more than two years, ‘Overgrown’ contains a wide breadth of work. Fans will remember ‘Phoneline’ with Emily Makis – released as a single in 2024. It’s a true drum & bass singalong that’s still igniting dancefloors with impeccable beats, atmospheres, grunts, and of course the vocal mix. But their sound grows in a more underground direction on tracks like ‘Magic’ or ‘Temple Stomp’, too. All together, it’s one of the best representations of the modern Shogun Audio sound.
The crew of collaborators and vocalists they enlist adds further overgrowth. Whether it’s Break, bringing his impossibly crisp drum & bass production, or MPH, steering them into an unfamiliar genre – Pola & Bryson get pushed. IYAMAH lays richness on ‘Want It’, Jelani Blackman gives ‘Stampede’ even more attitude, Kelli-Leigh contrasts the hard-hitting beats on ‘The One I Need’ – these additions drive the album into full bloom.
It’s been four years since their previous album ‘Beneath The Surface’ – a body of work rooted in a visual world the pair created during covid lockdowns. ‘Overgrown’, on the other hand, has opposite origins: it’s shaped by travelling, dancing, connecting, and living. They wanted it to bring euphoria to the listener – and after a summer of road-testing that hypothesis, they seem more than satisfied with the result.
As summer drew to a close, we caught up with Jack (Pola) and Harry (Bryson) to get their feelings on the album several months post-release, what it felt like to get the call up for a FABRICLIVE mix, and find out what’s next…
So, I know it’s a bit grim and cold now – but thinking back to summer, how was it?
Jack: This year was a lot of fun. It’s always nice – in previous summers we’ve been teasing new music or testing album cuts, but this year was different. We were finally back out playing those tunes to crowds who already knew them. Seeing people sing the lyrics back, really connecting with them – that’s such a satisfying feeling after a long writing process. It’s when the music really lands and you can tell people are genuinely fond of it.
Beyond the shows, summer’s just been busy in general, hasn’t it?
Harry: Yeah, it has. Boomtown was a real highlight.
Any other festivals that stood out?
Harry: Yeah, we did the Main Stage at Let It Roll – a sunset set, which was really cool. We also played a few in Europe: Darkshire Festival was a first for us and went down really well. It definitely felt like a busy summer.
We also did our album launch at Village Underground in London around May.
Jack: Yeah, that one was special. It was a home show – and we had Josh (Unglued), Sabrina and Linguistics on the lineup. The whole night just flowed perfectly; everyone complemented each other. It felt like a proper celebration.
Since wrapping the album, it’s been nice being back in London for a proper stretch – also we did a whole Australia and New Zealand tour!
And how was it down under?
Jack: Amazing. It was a sold-out tour, and it was all built around the album – like presenting Overgrown to that part of the world. First time we’d done it together, actually. We’ve been separately quite a few times now, but this was our first time together, which made it extra special. We traded summer for winter, though!
Harry: Haha yeah – but it’s always such a great scene down in New Zealand. Always has been. And Australia was brilliant too – Perth especially, that was one of the tour highlights.
Nice. And how’s the album been received? You’ve had a few months now to reflect and digest…
Harry: It’s been received really well. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s gone down. People have said lovely things, the feedback’s been great, and the tunes still feel good to play out.
Jack: Same here. I usually find that after an album drops, it’s the less obvious tracks – the ones that aren’t singles – that end up becoming people’s favourites. That’s happened loads this time. Fans and peers alike have come to us talking about those deeper cuts, and that’s always the best feeling.
Any specific tunes that surprised you with the reaction?
Jack: ‘Twilight’! I was blown away by how much love that one got. I knew it would connect, but people have been almost obsessive about it – in a good way. We’ve had some really emotional conversations about that track backstage after shows.
It’s also a lovely moment in the set. Everything just simmers down for a few minutes and you can look out at the crowd, take it in. You’re not focusing on the next mix – you’re just in that shared moment. That tune’s done wonders for us.
Nice – sounds like a mainstay on the USB. Does the album sound different to you now, after a summer of playing it out?
Harry: Not really – it doesn’t sound different, but the main thing is I’m not bored of it. Normally by this point I get fed up with hearing our own tunes, but this time I still genuinely love playing them.
Jack: Yeah, same. Usually six months down the line there’s at least one track where I think, ah, I wish we’d mixed that differently. But honestly, there’s not a single one on Overgrown I feel that way about. Still early days – but right now, I’m just really enjoying playing and listening to it.
So it’s been a while since your previous album Beneath the Surface – what was behind the gap, and why do another album now?
Harry: Honestly, we probably started writing ideas straight after Beneath the Surface. Sometimes it just takes that long. We knew we wanted to make another album, but at first we were just writing for the sake of writing – not really thinking about where the tunes would end up.
Over time though, a batch of tracks started to take shape and feel connected. About two years before ‘Overgrown’ came out, we realised, okay, this is the foundation – now let’s build around it, refine it, add, remove, do all the necessary bits to make it the best project it can be.
Jack: Yeah, it wasn’t like we consciously decided to delay anything. We were just enjoying the process of writing freely without the pressure of it needing to fit somewhere. After finishing an album, it’s nice to write with full creative freedom – to see where ideas naturally go.
That period of freedom actually became the groundwork for the next album without us realising.
That’s interesting – post-album you’re probably at your most free creatively, right? It’s like a funnel: starts really wide and then you narrow things down into one project, and then you start it all again…
Jack: Exactly. And for us, we always end up investing in some new bit of kit or instrument after an album wraps – which just opens another floodgate of ideas. Your mind’s free, and now you’ve got this new toy that lets you explore sonically in new directions.
I’ve always thought of our albums as chapters – part of one overarching story, but each with its own tone and theme. Once you finish one, the exciting part is asking, what’s next? What weird or unexpected direction could we go in now?
Harry: I also think we work better when we have a clear vision or project to write for. Between albums, you can easily hit that kind of… um… mind drought?
Jack: … mind drought!?
Harry: I mean… writer’s block! Haha. It can feel daunting when you don’t know what the next thing is going to be. But once you embrace that space, ideas start to flow again. We’ve learned we’re at our best when we’ve got something to aim for.
Yes I know you guys are big on concepts and themes. That was super strong on ‘Beneath The Surface’. ‘Overgrown’ has maybe slightly less ‘concept’ around it, but there’s definitely still something there…
Harry: So ‘Beneath the Surface’ came out during lockdown, and I think because of that, we had a lot less outside inspiration to draw from. We were stuck indoors, so we had to create our own world – we literally built a storyboard to write toward.
Whereas ‘Overgrown’ is much more a product of being back out in the world – clubbing, raving, travelling again. It’s all those influences feeding back in naturally. It wasn’t like, here’s the concept, now let’s make it fit. It was more like, here’s a bunch of tunes that feel connected, and that collective sound became its own concept. It was born from our environment.
Jack: Exactly – from being back in the real world that we hadn’t had access to for years when we made the last one. Even down to the name ‘Overgrown’ – that came from the sound this time, rather than the sound coming from the theme like before.
Right, so on ‘Beneath The Surface’ the music came from the concept, and now the concept came from the music. Both approaches work, but it’s interesting to see that switch.
Jack: We just get bored easily. We feel like we’ve got to do something different every time, haha.
Makes sense. I mean, writing albums can’t be easy – especially when they’re not the most commercially viable format these days…
Jack: Exactly. And I don’t think album writing can ever be formulaic. What makes a good album is that it’s unpredictable – it takes risks. You can churn out what you call an album, but a great album has to feel like a genuine body of work.
And since you mentioned the name earlier – ‘Overgrown’ is such a striking title. What does the name relate to?
Harry: We’ve talked about it a few times together, and it really came from that blend of sounds – the combination of acoustic, organic textures with more digital, electronic ones. It made us think visually, like a structure being overtaken by nature – that balance between man-made and natural elements. It’s kind of symbolic of the whole sound of the album.
Jack: Yeah, and it also mirrors us as people. Harry grew up in a small rural village, I grew up in London. Our worlds – and sometimes tastes – couldn’t be more different, but when we come together, that contrast becomes our sound. That’s ‘Overgrown’ – organic meeting industrial, nature meeting city, warmth meeting precision.
I see the vision. You also mentioned earlier that you usually end up buying a new ‘toy’ post-album. What was it this time – and how did it influence Overgrown?
Harry: Before Beneath the Surface, we got the Prophet synth. You can hear it all over that album. The ambience, main synth lines, melodies, pads… it’s basically the backbone of that record.
We’ve always been more songwriters than engineers, so we like gear that sounds great straight away – we’re impatient like that. That’s why outboard synths suit us; you can get amazing results fast.
So you’re getting those lush mids and highs from the Prophet?
Harry: Yeah – lots of air and sparkle, plus big pads and atmospheres. The low end tends to come from other synths like the Peak, but the Prophet does so much of the heavy lifting.
Jack: Yeah, and then over ‘Overgrown’ it was about mastering the Prophet. When we first got it, we were using it like songwriters – just finding sounds we liked. But now we understand it technically, we could approach it more like engineers – shaping it, pushing it.
But actually, the biggest change for this album was actually the space it was written in.
Harry moved into a new home about two years ago, and we started writing across different environments – his studio, writing camps in London, a house in Bristol where we brought some friends down for a week of sessions. All of that experimentation helped us generate loads of ideas.
But where it really came together was once we locked into our main space here. It was bigger, treated properly for the first time, and we finally upgraded from the same pair of Mackie monitors we’d used for 12 years. Once we did that, it completely changed how we could sculpt sound. We could actually trust what we were hearing – especially with the drums. So we were able to push things harder, make them crunchier, heavier, more confident sonically.
It wasn’t a conscious decision, but the room and setup definitely influenced the final sound. It gave it more weight.
Talking about space, you’ve said this album took quite a long time to come together – were there any tracks born from a specific place or moment that felt particularly inspiring?
Jack: That’s a really good question actually, because some of these tunes go back years. There’s one on the album, ‘Aurora’, which is actually older than ‘Beneath the Surface’.
Harry: Yeah, it was in the demo folder for Beneath the Surface originally. We changed it quite a bit to make it fit Overgrown, but yeah – that one’s been with us a long time.
Jack: If you traced the start of this album’s journey, that tune was probably the very start. It set the tone early on.
Harry: And even if a tune wasn’t written in some exotic place, sometimes the energy from a moment or trip filters into it. You can’t always pinpoint where inspiration comes from, but thinking back, that New Zealand trip definitely influenced ‘Twilight’. My fiancée’s (Cimone) on vocals for that one, and when we got the chords down, it just clicked – it felt special straight away. We tried not to overcook it, just let it breathe.
Yeah – often it’s more of a subconscious thing than a direct influence.
Harry: Exactly. You can’t always trace it, but life experiences – they really help. Good or bad, they feed into everything.
It’s a reminder to get out there and do things. Although, easier said than done when you’re stuck in the studio all day!
How did you approach the collaborations on ‘Overgrown’?
Harry: Most of the collabs came about naturally – they’re all friends, apart from MPH. We’d never met him before the session for that tune, but he was someone we really wanted on the project. That one was definitely a conscious choice.
With goddard., we just had a writing session booked anyway, and we were already in album mode. We came out with a few ideas, and one of them fit the project perfectly. The track with Monrroe was based on a really old idea from way back – must’ve been just after ‘Beneath the Surface’.
Jack: And then there’s Break – someone we’ve been fans of forever. We’d crossed paths loads of times, backstage and on the road, but never properly worked together. When we finally got a weekend in the studio, it was amazing.
He would hate me saying this, but he really is a hero – not just musically, but in terms of skill set and knowledge.
Break was the one I wanted to ask about specifically. Utter legend – unbelievably tight production. Did you pick up much from that session?
Harry: Oh, 100%. We learned a ton of engineering tricks – stuff that’s so second nature to him. Maybe we taught him something too… but probably not, haha.
He works quickly, which suited us perfectly – we like fast results, then refine later. It was a really natural flow.
You can hear that influence – your low end and drums on ‘Overgrown’ are tighter than ever, really clean and powerful, kind of reminiscent of his sound.
Harry: Thanks. We wanted to perfect that balance more on this one.
Jack: Exactly. Both him and Breakage are like the sonic gods of that sweet spot between soulful and heavy – deep, punchy, insanely clear-cut drums. Those two are top-tier. Breakage is someone I’d absolutely love to work with next. Two gods on the list.
Speaking of legendary stuff, let’s talk about the FABRICLIVE mix. First off – what does the club mean to you guys? Were you big Fabric-goers back in the day?
Harry: Not at first, because I’m from Yorkshire. When I moved down to London at 19 or 20, it still took me a few years to actually get there for some reason. But I’d always collected the FABRICLIVE CDs and knew the reputation – it’s iconic. When I finally did go, I remember just being completely blown away. It really does live up to the myth.
Jack: I’m from London, so I was there straight away. Within a month of turning 18, I’d been twice and wouldn’t shut up about it to everyone who hadn’t. It’s that classic thing – you go once, and you just get it. Even back then, it felt like an institution. It wasn’t just a club; it was part of the DNA of UK underground music. The FABRICLIVE CDs turned it into something global – a platform for pushing culture.
I still remember picking up the Caspa & Rusko one. I’d been into dubstep for a couple of years, but seeing what that mix did for the genre worldwide – it showed what can happen when a passionate group of people back great music. That’s what the Fabric team have done since day one.
Yes. FABRICLIVE 37 – the Caspa & Rusko one – absolute essential. So you were both already very familiar with the mix series. How did you approach doing your own?
Harry: We were still in that same sonic headspace as the album, so we approached it pretty similarly. We wanted to find other people’s music that lived in that same world – same tone, same energy. And we also wrote a brand-new tune specifically for the mix too.
Jack: Yeah, and a lot of the tracks we picked came from producers we’re massive fans of – people who’ve influenced us over the years. Not necessarily in how we write, but in the sonic palette we gravitate toward.
Harry: Yep – we basically picked tunes that we’d been playing alongside our album tracks in sets. Stuff that just fit in that same sphere.
An extension of the album?
Harry: Exactly that. And for the vinyl edition, we wanted to choose tracks that had never been released on vinyl before. That was really important to us.
Jack: Yeah – not everyone these days gets their music pressed to wax. If you can help make that happen, it’s special. You’re not just curating a mix – you’re creating a lasting piece of music history.
Harry: Yeah, it really was a privilege and a pleasure to be part of it.
What’s next for you guys? It’s been a few months since the album came out, so I’m sure you’re already cooking something up…
Jack: For sure, we’ve got a number of projects lined up before the end of the year and into next. We’re already knee-deep in writing new music and working with a few collaborators.
Harry: Yeah, just keeping busy and experimenting – trying some new things, playing with new gear.
Jack: Also, we spent three years writing all kinds of ideas for the ‘Overgrown’ project. It felt wrong for so many of them to never see the light of day. So, we’re putting together a way for people to get hold of some of that unreleased material before the end of this year.
Harry: Yeah – tunes we still really believe in, but that didn’t quite fit the sonic world of the album. They’re too good to just sit on a hard drive.
Jack: And we’ve got even more stuff lined up for the new year… but if I say anything else, I’ll probably get shouted at.
Any touring plans?
Jack: Yeah – around the one-year anniversary of Overgrown we’ve got some exciting things planned. But again, I can’t say much!
Harry: We’ll be doing a big London show at KOKO as part of that, along with some other special dates…
Alright, last question – what do you hope people take away from listening to Overgrown?
Harry: 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.
Jack: When you first said that, Harry, I was like, “not sure I agree,” but actually yeah – it’s spot on. For me it’s about making people want to be back in that environment – that communal space of dancing together again. Whether it’s in a club or a field, that human connection is the core of it.
Harry: And there are tunes on there that work both at home and in the club. I want people to be able to listen in their kitchen and still think, “God, I wish I was at a festival right now”.
Love that. And was there any particular feedback from fans that really hit home?
Jack: Someone said to me over the summer that ‘Listen’ – the track with goddard. – gave them that same feeling they had the last time they were deep in the crowd at a festival. They said it brought that energy back, which really stuck with me. That’s what we were aiming for – something that puts you right back in that moment.
Harry: 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. And for us, ‘Overgrown’ channels a bit of our youth too – that feeling we used to get discovering new sounds for the first time.
Mission accomplished for sure. Any final thoughts?
Harry: Yeah, we want to big up all the incredible vocalists of course: Kelli Leigh, IYAMAH, Emily Makis, Charlie Brix, Jelani Blackman, Cimone… all so talented and amazing to work with.
Jack: And lastly, big love to our manager Nikki and everyone at the Shogun team for everything.
