Novella have always been the answer to London's unsolved neo-psychedelia
crisis. Back in 2011, Novella released this little number with the B-side
"Oh Brian". They weren’t established in London, and moved from the
sea shore of Brighton - like their friends Fear of Men. It was inevitable
Novella's music would be backed by plenty, and released by Italian Beach Babes,
who are becoming one of the best ultra-independent record labels in the UK.
After Novella released this single, their music careers exploded. Comparisons
were being made right-left-centre, and music writers were uncontrollably
pointing to the bands sex, rather than their music quality and written skill.
It was their self-titled EP, released in 2012, that picked me out of the crowd.
Tracks like "He's My Morning", "Eat Yourself", and
"Don't Believe Ayn Rand" that put Novella in to a very sophisticated
grouping of London based recording artists. The intellectual guitar bearers
took the sound of a grim 80s and recovering 90s independent rock, and made it
grim again. Neo-psychedelia is a genre to be expressed, to be championed as the
textures, the tech, and the vocal drones are Pop's swag and wag.
"The Things You Do" was the eruption London's dormant music scene
needed. Novella began their autobiography with a Spacemen 3 inspired jam. Its
part Sonic Youth, part My Bloody Valentine, and part Galaxie 500. The quartet
combine to create a gritty psychedelic recording of noise pop which Nathan
Williams would simply describe as fuzz. "The Things You Do" kick-started
Novella's career, it's the go-to track for all fans of the band who like the
drones and repetitive distortion of Spacemen 3's past, and the sweet sound of
pure imagination and textures as Galaxie 500 so gracefully accomplished in
their short tenure as Boston's strong dream pop trio. The period will never
die, where alternative and rock went hand in hand. Novella are still proving
their worth, with an upcoming demo mix, and a debut album in sight.
~Eddie
Gibson
