Novadeaf
The Youth Album

One Saturday night I find myself going to the usual pub, one of the few places that isn’t packed with unsophisticated crowd around here. As usual, there's a band playing, and that night it's Novadeaf. I walk in and I'm greeted by "Pass Me By", one of the group's tracks. I immediately like them, so much so that by the end of the evening, I decide to shell out 5 euros to get my hands on their self-produced CD.

Novadeaf offers pop-rock that's certainly not innovative, but nevertheless of excellent quality. The songs on the youth album never feel banal, probably due to the diverse musical backgrounds of the 5 members, coming from jazz, blues, progressive, and pop. The CD alternates between more energetic tracks, like the opener "Moving Lights" and "Beautiful Things", and sweet ballads among which "October Sun" and "The Cold Room" stand out, in my opinion, the best piece on the album. Federico Russo's voice manages to be sweet without being cloying, and it perfectly suits the band's style, which mainly echoes the typical Brit-rock of Radiohead's "The Bends", with a nod to Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and new wave. All of this is accompanied by very intimate and personal songwriting and excellent recording quality, despite the fact that the album was entirely recorded at the drummer's house.

In conclusion, this youth album doesn't bring any innovation, but it is certainly a product to be appreciated for its excellent craftsmanship, the great technical skill of the musicians, and not least, for the emotions it manages to convey. Hoping to have the chance to see them live again.