Even with the worst of COVID behind us, we’re still living in an increasingly strange world, and for that, there’s never been a better time to get up and dance.

Luckily, RoVo Monty delivers a perfect soundtrack with his debut album, Water Sign, which feels like a coming-out party of sorts for this homegrown pop artist,
who has spent the last decade becoming a pillar of the local arts scene.

Inspired by fashion, dance, and disco, Monty’s effervescent music celebrates queer love, self-expression, and communal joy. And with nods to generation-spanning icons like Prince, Janet Jackson, and Beyoncé, his electronic melodies are ones that you can’t help but move along to. It’s no surprise, given that Monty is a choreographer himself, and those skills heavily inform his nine new club-ready tracks—hands down his best work yet.

Produced by Bmore Club legend Mighty Mark and up-and-coming mix-master Mateyo, each tune is full of bouncy beats, irresistible hooks, and velvety vocals, and altogether, it sounds like the spark that could turn Baltimore into a dance town again.

“Midas” kicks things off with a vogue-inducing bang, and from there on out, the record’s lush soundscapes never skip a beat, shifting between soft, airy, R&B slow jams (“Planes”) and big, shimmering, upbeat anthems that would’ve been right at home at The Paradox (“Sanctuary”).

From his performances at the Baltimore Pride Festival to cameos in Netflix’s Dark City: Beneath the Beat by TT The Artist, RoVo Monty is a rising star to know now—and dance with as soon as possible.