The definition of Nouve//es is "a narrative story with a meaning or purpose." The band's line-up consists of Cody Hess formerly of Sleep Signals fame, and Scott Van Slyke from Deaf Angel, She Killed Poetry, etc. The band formed in the Winter of 2021 when the pandemic opened the door for more production-based online collaborations between signed and touring musicians. The online aspect of this project has allowed the band built a strong foundation of written and produced music that Hess and Van Slyke have engineered through all stages of production.
Nouve//es have released their debut EP 'The Rise & Fall' via We Magnify Productions on May 13th.
I recently reviewed the single, 'Stand With Me' from this EP, "On first listening to the single I was instantly a fan hearing the intro and getting hit with a heavy riff and "BLEGH" from the get go. The clean vocals lead with, "Sewing stitches every day", and that is when I knew this was going to be lyrics that are easily relatable.
The track continues with a great mix of hard and clean vocals accompanied with some nicely toned guitar riffs that get a little bit filthier as the song progresses. Mixing all of this with some great bass drum kicks makes for a great banger."
I was excited for 'The Rise & Fall' to be released and it certainly has not let me down on what i was expecting, the opening song 'As The Embers Rise' really sets the tone for the rest of the record. Dropping instantly into 'Pray For Me' which is an emotionally heavy roller coaster of honesty stemming from everyday life, wrapped up in shades of hope. You can hear this in the lyrics.
The title track 'The Rise & Fall' features Kat Freeman-Lindsey of the Houston, Texas-based band, Para Bellum. This is about surrounding yourself with people that will pick you up when you fall, and help you rise again. I am sure many fans and musicians in the industry can relate to this as we all have those people we can rely on when things are not going to plan to pick you up and give you the encouragement and support to keep moving on.
The EP signs off with a cover of Seal's ' Kiss From A Rose' so if you ever wondered what it would be like if Seal went metal, filled with hard hitting drums, riffs and hard vocals here is your opportunity to do so. Also features backup vocals and harmony by Lacey Van Slyke.
The band will be releasing several official lyric videos to support the EP debut, as well as distributing physical copies to stores.
Overall I think think the EP is a great debut for the band and really sets out what they are trying to achieve, I see great things happening in the future with endless possibilities of collaborations due to the nature the band was formed and the new age of recording music we live in.
'The Rise and Fall' EP was written, engineered, produced, and mastered by Cody Hess and Scott Van Slyke at We Magnify Studios in Dallas, Texas.
Matt James