N0V3L occupies a sonic landscape that recalls spring-loaded post-punk disso… Read Full Bio ↴N0V3L occupies a sonic landscape that recalls spring-loaded post-punk dissonance, new-wave’s downcast dance anthems, and skronking political funk. NOVEL, their eight-track debut EP, is a fluorescent, freshly-scorched declaration of intent, a martial, brutalist slab of nimble melodics and group-yelped anti-capitalist mantras: “Time is a resource/To use and to treasure!” they cry on opener, “To Whom It May Concern.” From the numerics in their name to their black/white/red aesthetic scheme, N0V3L is a carefully-calculated machine.
Frigid, wiry guitars scramble and sprint in syncopated riffs, circling each other, sparse and chiming in their aesthetic but frenetic all the same. Percussion is at turns stern and playful, from loose, brash funk strains on “Will To Power” to airtight disco beats on “Natural.” Bass work here, with its own thumping neon flourishes, is not so much an accompaniment but an intricate piece of this web of sounds, as critical and imaginative as the leads it lurks behind. Vocals, typically sung in unison, are sneering and sharp and jagged like the provocations they carry: “Sign on the line/Devalue your time!” they jeer on “Sign On The Line.” Later, on closer “Division,” they lament and reject institutionalized oppressions: “State-endorsed bigotry/Lies from the factory!”
It feels crass to call N0V3L a band—the word feels cumbersome and bloated with traditionalist connotations. N0V3L is a self-sustaining creative collective operating out of a house in Victoria, where they produce their own music, videos, and clothing. These elements converge and convulse to create music that challenges the gluttony and ruin wrought by power, while humming along with kaleidoscopic spontaneity into a tightly-wound audible world that is at once jarring and violently danceable. N0V3L’s debut EP is a call to a burnt-out dance floor, where the dance floor has become a space of dialogue and action and resistance. Please do enjoy.
N0V3L is an engine of entertainment and social criticism weaponizing rhythm and melody against the unsound powers that be. Rigid new-wave, angular funk, polyrhythmic disco and intellectual punk together approximate a radical new sound that forms a principal means of ideological circulation. Drawing influence from such mindful predecessors as DEVO and Public Enemy, N0V3L offers an empowering, socially-charged stance in fierce opposition to aspects of the modern cultural landscape, sounding an urgent call to mindfulness and collaborative resistance.

Natural
N0V3L Lyrics

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You're the image of health and purity
A messenger
Of insecurity
You hide your innocence
With a distracted stare
Unsure of your message
Unsure if you care

Ocuppation:
To make you desire
A cheap imitation
For you to admire
Paper thin
She's a natural
Porcelain skin
She's a natural

Paper thin
She's a natural

Porcelain skin
She's a natural

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of N0V3L's song "Natural" are quite intriguing as they delve into the themes of self-doubt, insecurity, and the pressure to conform to society's standards of beauty. The first verse describes the subject as someone who appears to be of "health and purity," but behind the façade, they are actually struggling with their own insecurities. This is demonstrated through the lines "You hide your innocence/ With a distracted stare/ Unsure of your message/ Unsure if you care." The subject is seemingly unsure of their own worth, and the constant pressure to appear perfect and flawless has led to a sense of confusion and detachment.

The chorus of the song is particularly interesting as it speaks directly to the beauty standards that society places on individuals. The subject's "occupation" is to make others desire her by presenting a "cheap imitation" of herself that they can admire. The use of the word "cheap" suggests that the subject is not being true to herself, and is instead presenting a version of herself that is easily marketable to others. The repeated refrain of "She's a natural" highlights the irony of the situation, as the subject is anything but natural - her appearance is carefully constructed to appeal to the masses.

Overall, "Natural" is a poignant commentary on the pressures of conforming to society's beauty standards, and the toll that it can take on individuals' self-worth and sense of identity.

Line by Line Meaning

You're the image of health and purity
You project a facade of being healthy and pure

A messenger
A symbol or representative

Of insecurity
Of feeling uncertain or insecure

You hide your innocence
You conceal your naivete or inexperience

With a distracted stare
You mask your emotions with a detached look

Unsure of your message
You are uncertain or unclear about what you are trying to say

Unsure if you care
You are uncertain or unclear about whether you even care

Occupation:
Job, career or purpose

To make you desire
To create a sense of longing or want within you

A cheap imitation
A low-quality copy or replica

For you to admire
For you to look up to or hold in high regard