Album Review: Nova Twins – ‘Supernova’: punk-rap duo achieve dizzying new heights

The Breakdown

There's no one in the alternative scene at the moment scratching the itch that Nova Twins are managing to.

– 10.0

Formed back in 2014 in London, childhood friends Amy Love (lead vocals, guitar) and Georgia South (backing vocals, bass) smashed together their love of 00’s R&B and hip-hop with punk, rock and metal strokes and managed to create their own unique style entirely.

Their debut album Who Are The Girls? securely stuck their flag into the ground, cementing them as one of the music scene’s most anticipated new artists. Reaching critical acclaim, the cynical might think that the pandemic that ensued would crush the hype surrounding the pair, but they have simply gone from strength to strength since that point, thus accumulating in their new release Supernova.

The album buzzes into life with rowdy noise-packed Power (Intro); ethereal vocals back up an onslaught of aggressive noise – it’s truly an assault on the senses. This leads perfectly into the equally punchy lead single Antagonist.

The song perfectly encapsulates a rage felt by so many lately; with one opening line of “I’m feeling like a riot, if it’s a cure to the cause, then we have to get violent,” Love perfectly lets you know what Twins are all about. Cleopatra is as catchy as a cold and is a true example of the genre-melting pot that the pair tow the line of beautifully.

K.M.B (standing for Kill My Boyfriend) is a tongue-in-cheek ditty about getting rid of a bad relationship. Love‘s incredible rap skills are on full display in this offering, accompanied by the signature buzzy bass tones from South. Fire & Ice is easily an instant straight-to-live performance hit.

Things take a more serious tone on A Dark Place For Somewhere Beautiful; the vocals in the pre-chorus are incredibly haunting and eery, boasting some excellent harmonies simultaneously. Choose Your Fighter has some obvious video game nodding (think Tekken, Mortal Kombat) and matches this aesthetic perfectly. Enemy is probably the standout track of the album for me; synth strings mesh absolutely wonderfully with the venomous vocal snarls. The chorus kicks off aggressively; the song has pretty much every element of the band’s enigmatic sound tied up in a bloody ripped bow. Closer Sleep Paralysis is… unsettling, to say the least. But it leaves a fantastic last impression of the record and keeps you wishing it would never end.

I can honestly say this is the most exciting album I have heard this year, even in a very long time. Nova Twins have honestly created something utterly incredible with this album. I simply cannot wait to see where their already illustrious career takes them in the future, and they should be so immensely proud of what they’ve managed to create here.

NOVA TWINS – ‘Supernova‘ is out on Marshall Records June 17th 2022

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