Nova Twins’ New Album Is a Fascinating Polyglot » PopMatters

Nova Twins’ willingness to draw from essentially any music style of the last 40 years and incorporate it into their sound makes their music a fascinating polyglot.

Parasites & Butterflies Nova Twins Marshall 2025-08-29

Parasites & Butterflies is the first Nova Twins album in three years, and the first since 2022’s Supernova, which made them big names in the UK. The press materials for the new record tout the duo’s gigs opening for Muse, Foo Fighters, and Bring Me the Horizon, and there’s no question that this is a Big Rock Record. Nova Twins don’t just rock out, though. Their songs are filtered through hip-hop, pop, and a variety of other influences, which makes for an interesting blend of styles.

Well, it’s a fascinating stew if one can get past the overwhelming sounds of brickwalled distortion that permeate Parasites & Butterflies, nearly from start to finish. Those same press materials boast that no synthesizers or electronics were used on the album, just an array of guitar and bass pedals. Regardless, the duo and co-producer Rich Costey have slathered everything in layers of buzzing loudness. Besides one notable exception, it feels like the songs on Parasites & Butterflies only get quieter because instruments occasionally drop out, not because any effort is made at any time to shift the volume level away from As Loud As We Can Possibly Make It.

This recording style is as overwhelming as it is exhausting, making it difficult to focus on what’s actually happening in the songs. For me, it took about five or six listens through the album to start appreciating the actual songs and performances. That’s a shame, because there really are some very cool ideas happening here.

The self-aggrandizing “N.O.V.A” comes at the album’s midpoint, and is styled as a classic hip-hop brag track where the duo pump themselves up. The buzzing, catchy guitar and bass riffs bring to mind the grimy rock-rap sound of N.E.R.D.’s first album, while the twins shout, “What’s the name, bitch? / Say our name!” That happens over a marching snare drum sound, which further accentuates that refrain.

“Soprano” also uses heavy hip-hop influences, with classic beats driving the song while the verses are fully rapped. Some of the vocals seem to be pitched down during these raps, giving them a harsh, guttural tone. That is likely to better contrast with the fully sung chorus, which features a rising, wordless vocal that peaks in a high register, approaching Mariah Carey territory.

“Sandman” is a throwback to when rock met dubstep, with herky-jerky drumbeats playing under the distinctive wubba-wubba-wubba oscillating noises that made the style so distinct. “Drip” is also coded to a specific electronic style, in this case, late 1990s jungle music. The drum beat, and in particular the snare drum sound, is so precise that it can’t be a coincidence.

The opener, “Glory”, employs a bouncy groove and thick, distorted bass to establish a soaring, gospel-indebted chorus, where the pair sing, “Glory, glory hallelujah.” It also features a great big heavy rock breakdown as its bridge, setting the stage for what the Nova Twins will be doing for the rest of the record.

The first single, “Monsters”, released a full seven months before the album, might be the record’s catchiest and most confessional track. It begins with the declaration, “I’m not afraid of monsters / But I’m afraid of myself.” From here, it proceeds with self-examination through the verses before returning to the opening lines as the main chorus. It’s a big, heavy rock moment, and the song extends the chorus with a distorted breakdown section before going back to the verse.

“Hummingbird” is the one song on Parasites & Butterflies that shows some restraint in volume. It starts sparsely arranged, and even though it incorporates a touch of the dubstep wub-wubs in the chorus and beyond, these are ornamental effects, not sounds that overwhelm the mood of the song. Slightly unsettling, high-pitched vocals, accompanied by a sample from Iranian artist Mahsa Vahdat, float in and out of the background of the music, contributing to the melancholy feel of the track. It’s a refreshing change of pace, and it’s the only one Nova Twins are willing to provide on the record. 

Nova Twins’ willingness to draw from essentially any music style of the last 40 years and incorporate it into their basic sound makes their music a fascinating polyglot. Rapped verses sit right next to catchy sung choruses while being backed up by an array of huge, distorted guitar and bass tones. Unfortunately, those tones are so loud at all times, because when everything sounds huge, nothing really sounds huge anymore. 

It’s also unfortunate that, for now at least, Nova Twins’ biggest rock influences seem to be the most basic nu-metal of the early 2000s. Occasionally, that makes for a catchy riff or two, but more often the result is a lot of heavy guitars that aren’t playing anything particularly memorable. If the duo’s guitar and bass work catch up to the inventiveness of their vocals and ear for beats, they could truly produce some special music.