The Novus – I Serve Not
21st April 2021 proved to be a big day for Birmingham Post-Punk legends The Novus. The first (and arguably most important) reason is the announcement of their debut EP ‘Thaleia Standing’ which will be released on June 18th. The second is the fact that they have just released the best single of their career so far.
Written during the 2019 general election, ‘I Serve Not’ screams the rage and anger felt by many of us towards the government. With deep, dirty basslines and thrashy choruses, The Novus have proved once again that they are a band worth paying attention to.
On ‘I Serve Not’, The Novus have clearly taken notes on what modern bands are doing with the Post-Punk genre today: in particular I found the intro of this track to be reminiscent of Colossus by IDLES with its reserved start which slowly crescendos into a chaotic chorus. It goes without saying, however, that both tracks are very different and The Novus have taken this concept and turned it into something new and distinctive.
The track also has one minor feature that I absolutely love however I am not exactly sure how I would describe it. The aspect in question is the industrial sounding noise that starts the song and is played on every 2nd and 4th beat. This alone makes the track sound abrasive and when paired with crashing cymbals and overdriven guitar lines the instrumental sounds unstoppable.
This song would be incomplete however were it not for the performance of frontman Connor Hill. Not only does his vocal sound more refined on this track but you can genuinely tell that he means the lyrics he is singing. You can certainly hear a lot of built up frustration and angst in his voice and this connects with the tense verses and noisy choruses tremendously.
‘I Serve Not’ is the result of a band fully realizing their sound and creating something truly unique. Although you may be able to hear the bands influences in the track, I can confidently say I don’t know of another act like The Novus. This track has already proved itself to be of increasing relevance and the same could be said for this band.
Aidan Mcguire
