ART & CULTURE
Supernova
Catching up with Providence’s favorite strawberry blond dynamo after a national tour By Adam Hogue
S
82
Hey Rhody MEDIA CO.
The band takes a group selfie in Denver, Colorado
“I plan on doing a bunch of writing and recording this winter” – Roz Raskin
JANUARY 2024 | HeyRhody.com
Photos courtesy of Nova One
ome albums have the feel of a soundtrack, conjuring mental images as if captured on film. This is the case of create myself, the first fullleng th record from NOVA ONE. In this latest effort, Roz Raskin and friends embark on a tonal journey that plays cinematically across 11 tracks, beginning with the ethereal sounds of “ believe me” and moving into the straightfor ward pop -rock, solo -driven, sing-along “dangerous.” The LP goes from opening credits to straight-up suburban bike ride to school, locker room-and-all montage of a track with a full-on belt-able chorus that brings ever yone in full witness of a trip through the life and times of Raskin; their dad even plays sax on a B-side track. “It was really special to have him in the studio with me.” While the earlier EP secret princess and LP lovable delivered concise vibes and stylistic choices, this album seems to be NOVA ONE spreading out more fully and comfortably into the big sounds and grandeur that only pop can really offer. Along with “ best / worst” and “pick my pedals” with that wonderful chorus, NOVA ONE does not shy away from the anthemic, allowing the good, catchy g uitar riff to have its day. “I’m definitely a big pop music person and I love a strong chorus or catchy part,” Raskin muses. “One of my fave parts of a strong pop song is the sing-song y quality of a chorus that connects with people.” Juxtaposed to the anthemic montage-pop, NOVA ONE has more profound moments. “I think there’s an intimacy that is necessar y for certain songs. Especially a song like ‘in orbit’ that I wrote about my grandfather who died in 2020. I wanted people to feel like they were sitting right next to me hearing that song.” Raskin describes NOVA ONE as a “ver y vocal-centered project balanced with dreamy soundscapes.” They continue, “For this album, it felt new to make the vocals more crisp and audible then they have ever been. Sonically speaking , it was good for me to get out