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Following the final preview offering of new music ahead of its release with “Devotion” earlier this week, Montell Fish’s dj gummy bear alter-ego releases his new mixtape The Spirit Still Remains (Purgatory). The project exemplifies Montell’s dj gummy bear moniker as an exercise in creating a sandbox of limitless creativity, freedom and experimentation. Purgatory brings those musical experiments to the forefront, allowing Montell to play with electronic, house, and ambient soundscapes through the dj gummy bear character, free of any imposed expectations on what ‘Montell Fish’ music is meant to sound like. In celebration of the project’s release, Montell hosted a special mixtape release show with a hybrid live / DJ performance and surprise guests at an undisclosed location in LA. The live performance was streamed live on Montell’s YouTube channel and Instagram.
“‘Purgatory’ refers to the space in between, the liminal, the state of limbo someone feels when going through transitionary periods, or when someone is stuck between heaven and hell in a religion,” Montell says of what the dj gummy bear mixtape represents. “Both feelings are what I want this mixtape to represent. It’s the place where dj gummy bear lives as this moniker allows me to explore those in-between moments and sounds, without judgement.”
The Spirit Still Remains (Purgatory) includes Montell’s latest single “Ostentatious”, featuring rising British musician John Glacier. The new song is a shimmering, transportive dance track that pairs dj gummy bear’s diverse production with Montell’s airy, tender vocals, and with the effortlessly smooth delivery of Glacier’s raps. The single’s accompanying video, directed by Jared Hogan, is a haunting look at the remnants of a party at the end of the night starring Montell and John Glacier.
Harnessing that spirit of creative freedom, Montell has been on a prolific run over the course of 2025, releasing a diverse set of songs that surprised fans. He’s experimented with dance music (“i saw you in my dream”) and trap (“Same Shit” with Murda Beatz and BKTHERULA), and distilled down the intimacy of his strain of alternative R&B to its essence with a number of acoustic offerings (Days Are Getting Shorter). This Summer, Montell embarked on his The Dream Deer Tour, which saw him play a run of completely sold out dates in Australia, followed by festival sets in North America and Europe, concluding with headline shows in Warsaw, Vienna, and Zurich.
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