May 2018, I head to Ivory Blacks to check out the sensational extra-terrestrial outfit Sick N Beautiful, but on that same night I also discovered a couple other great acts previously unknown to me, one was Bad Pollyanna, and the other was our subject here, Novacrow. I took quite a liking to the Liverpool dark rockers and enjoyed their last 2 EPs, so of course I was excited for their full-length album, I even went as far as to pre-order it, and it was worth it because this is really, really damn cool.
Shapes In The Sky kicks the record off with grooving riff displays and Kitty proving her stylish vocal chops, and the main hook is nice too. Hollow Armour effectively sparks these quiet hushed and brooding tones in the verses that grab your attention and keep you glued while they dial it up for the bewitching chorus. They take their first proper dive into the horror field with the appealingly bobbing Medusa Medusa, especially with the “gang choir” on hand to boost the noise, and of course they capture a delightfully spooky mood, and the guitar solo is supremely sick too.
Hush is personified by these florid vibrant electronics, a potently booming rhythm and a decent energy at its heights. The bass tones are immensely rough and coarse on Play My Game, and Kitty successfully manages to sound threatening through her menacing voice, getting you hooked onto her words with such ease.
Not Your Mannequin is a roaring blast that rings with a loud “screw you” to those who seek to exploit you for their benefits. but ho ho, there’s no signs of slowing down as they launch full whammy into It’s Alive, the most fast and furious elite banger of the lot yet, without fail I headbang every time, at the expense of my weak neck, sure, but to hell with it, I just can’t resist.
It’s between that and Frankenfine for my personal highlight of the record, which is a one part deliciously sexy funky, one part rocking cut predictably about Frankenstein’s monster, it’s humorous and a tonne of fun. All I See Is Her has an awesome rhythm just beyond words in how freakishly addictive as hell it is, and Torn To Pieces continues to add fuel to the hard-hitting fire.
At last we settle things down for the stunning Day Break. The acoustic melody is serene, the lyrics are entrancing, and Kitty and Jon’s dual performances are real strong, it’s a contrast to their usual material and they kill it. Speaking of usual material, they return to exactly that with the breakneck, off the charts Why Are My Dreams, it’s a thrilling holler, and My Virtues has a creepy air to it sonically speaking, and Kitty in her final showing does another bang up job getting you to slip in and draw closer.
What a heck of an entertaining jaunt this is, a whole hour of nonstop devilish greatness that’s ridiculously infectious and never boring, a kick ass album that earns full marks.
SMALL MUSIC SCENE 