Like a blend of your favorite period post-punk/new wave bands (and enough pop handle and creative exploration for both), Vancouver six-piece N0V3L stamps their first full-length EP with a union of consistency and melodic experimentation. Thoughtful additions of new wave dance beats (track 2) and horn-echoed funk (tracks 2 and 8) combat expected politically-charged lyricism and flamboyant, Strummer-esque vocals (heard full-force in tracks 1 and 6). Bass lines are clean, prominent, and complementary.
Each of the eight brief tracks houses a new earworm with its own careful combo of riffs, often emphasized by a distorted dual-guitar approach reminiscent of standard early punk. A catchy vehicle for fiery opposition to modern norms, Novel is sure to unleash the Public Enemy we all possess somewhere deep down. – Reed Winckler