’…they risk losing their reputation as one of the brightest rising talents in rock if they don’t challenge what they are capable of…’
Anybody who even remotely keeps up with the UK’s alternative music scene is likely to have heard of Nova Twins. The London-based duo formed back in 2014, but wouldn’t go on to release their debut record until 2020, with the well-received ‘Who Are The Girls?‘ resulting in the band winning the Best UK Breakthrough Band at that year’s heavy music awards. From cover features for Kerrang! and NME, to a Mercury Prize shortlisting for their sophomore record, there is a real appetite within the rock world for what Nova Twins have to offer: high-octane rock that is infused with RnB, rap, and pop.
Following on from supporting Muna, Muse, and Foo Fighters, the band are back with their third record, ‘Parasites & Butterflies‘. A confrontation of the highs and lows of success, the record aspires to be both a celebration of where they have managed to climb to, and a look at the darkness they’ve faced both outwardly and inwardly along the way. The vision feels befittingly ambitious for such a band, and arrives right when it needs to in their story. The execution, unfortunately, is another matter.
There are no immediate problems with this record. In fact, the opening number offers one of their finest tracks to date, and a showcase of precisely how you should open a record. ‘Glory‘ packs galloping rhythms drive you to dance alongside dramatic choral harmonies that truly add a sense of scale to the track. The bridge is a killer experience, landing with a thunderous weight that excites you for what is ahead on this record.
‘Soprano‘ also escapes major criticism; a playful and punchy rap number that showcases the band’s capacity for genre-blending, this feels like the band taking what made them stand out in the first place, and dialling all of that up to eleven. The vocal delivery exudes a natural sense of coolness, and the chorus, despite its quirky and somewhat whimsical nature, works perfectly in contrast with the gritty, snarling verses.
Unfortunately, that is where any real positive aspects of this record stop. Almost every track here feels as though Nova Twins have come up with one idea, and then stretched said idea to the point of mindless repetition; even the good ideas become reduced to monotonous nothing-burgers. There is little variation within or between tracks, and whilst there is perhaps an argument for this being EDM or dance inspiration, the result feels repetitive, uninspired, and sometimes even just lazy.
‘Drip‘ attempts to continue the momentum that ‘Soprano‘ built, with a real push to be a swaggering rap rock affair, but the track is simply too repetitive to be anything other than boring. ‘N.O.V.A‘ represents a return to the band’s roots, but this time, not in a good way. The track feels as though it belongs on a League of Legends trailer of some kind, with the melodramatic instrumentation and uninspired lyricism leaving the whole track feeling cheap. It truly feels as if it has been created by an AI asked to write a song about how cool Nova Twins are, and whilst that may have paid off on the band’s first record, you cannot help but wonder why all of their albums require some sort of hype piece; their music should show you why they are cool, rather than telling you why they are cool.
Furthermore, the mixing choices leave a lot to be desired. A good portion of the tracks sound like demos, with thin guitars, quiet percussion, and flat, muddy vocals; Nova Twins are a band that thrive off of being in-your-face and unapologetically loud, but those tenets seem to have been forgotten for the bulk of this record. Take ‘Parallel Universes’ as an example, with a breakdown in the back half that sounds too damn quiet for any kind of pit to form. For an album that seeks to be expressive and explosive, the result is a a total damp squib.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about this record is the sheer potential it carries. Nova Twins have the capacity to fuse alternative rock, rap, and RnB in genuinely inventive and engaging ways, but simply don’t push themselves far enough to achieve anything truly of note. By the time the listener reaches the utterly flaccid closing number, ‘Black Roses’, it is clear that this is perhaps a worse listening experience than a simply bad record; ‘Parasites & Butterflies’ is a disappointing and boring record.
Nova Twins possess an important place in alternative music, but they risk losing their reputation as one of the brightest rising talents in rock if they don’t challenge what they are capable of. ‘Parasites & Butterflies’ is a collection of songs that does nothing to expand upon what the band have set up, and struggles to truly be an album in any real sense. Playing it this safe never pays off.
RATING: 54/100 – Average
For Fans Of: Fever 333, Ashnikko, House of Protection, Scene Queen, Bring Me The Horizon
Physical copies are available to purchase here.
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