New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Ahead of the release of their eagerly anticipated debut EP - 'Thaleia Standing' on Friday 18th June, emerging Midlands outfit The Novus today share their new single, 'Castaway' and it's coinciding video shot by Jacky P (AKA Jack Parker); former presenter of BBC Introducing WM and touring DJ for Scarlxrd.
The second single to be shared from the EP, ''Castaway' embodies the notion that it's totally normal and okay to have dark days; acknowledging that we are taught to take care of others before learning to care for ourselves - as bassist Tyla Challenger explains:
"'Castaway' touches heavily on how we're never taught how to properly take care of ourselves. As much as it's okay to not be okay, it's ingrained into a whole generation to be 'nice' to everyone around us without actually learning how to accept & look after our own physical and mental wellbeing. We're quickly taught to respect and love each other, as we should; but education fails to teach the importance of empowering and looking after yourself. It results in a society filled with toxic masculinity, unidentified mental health issues & huge suicide rates.
This is something very close to home for us, growing up in a small town and being outlandish in what we wear, the way we look - male fragility & xenophobia as a whole is almost embedded in schools, jobs and the 'everyman'. 'Castaway' is our take on what's more important than the syllabus, these real life lessons that need teaching & the things we all wish we'd known earlier.."
Difficult to define, The Novus extract influence from all areas of the musical spectrum - from 70s psychedelic rock to contemporary post-punk; entirely enamoured with every aspect of the eternal realm labelled 'art'.
On their debut EP, produced by Gavin Monaghan at Magic Garden Studios (Editors, The Blinders) those influences present themselves in the form of gritty, defiant guitars, growling punk vocals and a swaggering confidence driven solely by the sheer anger and need for change felt by the youth of today.
Named after Thaleia, the Greek muse of comedy; 'Thaleia Standing' is a story about the personification of the mask. We live in a society where we conform to people's expectations, put on a brave face and cover up our true feelings for the sake of others; on 'Thaleia Standing' The Novus explore whether life is easier should you put on a mask and conform to social norms, or learn to understand your own feelings and emotions; leaving the mask behind as an entity rather than a physical being.
