Nova Social
New York City, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | INDIE
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Nova Social has been rocking and confusing New York since the late nineties. Their latest release, an eponymous 2009 EP, pairs club beats and slinky synths with David Nagler's arch, intelligent vocals. The creepy single "Turn to Crime" recalls Better Than Ezra's "One More Murder." Elsewhere, the band favors stabby guitars and pounding drums, but that doesn't stop them from enlisting the fiercely gifted cellist Clara Kennedy. It's pretty much impossible to sum up Nova Social's whole oeuvre; suffice it to say, Nagler and co-founder Thom Soriano are well acquainted with the darker corners of pop music. Who knew a bangin' dance track could give you the chills? - Unveiled Arts
The most remarkable fixation besides the masterfully arranged undulating techno hop of metro-New York’s Nova Social’s new EP, Nova Social is its lowbrow, ultra-engaging lyrical aptitude. Main members, David Nagler and Thom Soriano, have created such a collection of songs like, “Now You’re a Nun” and “Turn to Crime” to name just a few that are both righteous in arrangement and lyrics as well. The machinated beat stylings are so crisp against shimmers of dramatic synth and strings that it is hard not to gasp at their creativity. A steady solid soulful rhythm groove, almost leaning back to yesteryear’s 80s dance music and r&b, is delicately layered against the futuristic sounds of spirally keys, chunky bass lines and stomp beats. “Now You’re a Nun,” is an up-tempo, hyper-accelerated riotous diss full of monotonous chest thumping low end flair. Wicked violins battle melodiously and tight against a low buzz of vicious vocals. The characteristically sly words give much free space for the music to breathe as well. Plunks of keys make up the intro to, “Turn to Crime.” Aside for being pure genius, mid-tempo ambient toe-tapping remorse techno-pop appeal bounces against choral vocals that show off the wonderful musicianship of Nova Social. - Short and Sweet NYC
“dark, witty and highly danceable synth poppers” - New York Magazine
Nova Social operate at the other end of the spectrum, closer to the music found on Destroyer's Kaputt. They pair glittery electropop with moody vocals and frontman David Nagler's coy, occasionally cutting lyrics. - Capital New York
Discography
2014 - The Patience & Pleasure EP (Big Sleep)
2011 - For Any Inconvenience (Big Sleep)
2009 - Nova Social [EP] (Big Sleep)
2007 - Other Words From Tomorrow's Dictionary (Big Sleep)
2002 - The Jefferson Fracture (Big Sleep)
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Bio
NY metropolitan area group NOVA SOCIAL has been active in the city's pop underground for over a decade. New York Magazine calls them "dark, witty and highly danceable synth poppers," while Capital New York lauds the band's "glittery electropop with moody vocals and frontman David Nagler's coy, occasionally cutting lyrics."
In addition to singer/multi-instrumentalist David Nagler and guitarist/programmer Thom Soriano, the live version of the band features vocalist Xavier (Scissor Sisters, Bright Light Bright Light), keyboardist Dan Lipton (Sting, Burt Bacharach), a string trio comprised of Tom Chiu, Dana Lyn, and Clara Kennedy, and a rhythm section of Pier Paolo Pappalardo on bass and Konrad Meissner on drums.
The Patience & Pleasure EP is Nova Social's latest release, featuring three new songs unlike anything the group has previously recorded: the provocative glossy meta-pop of twin singles "Laptop Rock" and "Come Out Into the World," along with the beat-driven 10+ minute epic "Does Anybody Know How to Land This Thing, Part 2."
For "Laptop Rock" and "Come Out Into the World," Nova Social teamed up with David Frank, known for his work with legendary electro-R&B duo The System, as well as his contributions to records by Chaka Khan, Scritti Politti, Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera (Frank was the co-writer of "Genie in a Bottle") and more. Nova Social met Frank when they helped coordinate The System's first live appearance in over two decades, and shared a bill with the group at Littlefield in Brooklyn.
The group has released three full-lengths on their Big Sleep Records imprint: For Any Inconvenience (2012), Other Words From Tomorrow's Dictionary (2007), and The Jefferson Fracture (2002), as well as a 2009 self-titled EP. In 2014, Nova Social will also be releasing the band's "lost album" Sports Motel, recorded over ten years ago.
Nagler also plays guitar and piano for Wesley Stace & The English UK, where his involvement in the NPR-broadcasted "Cabinet of Wonders" variety shows at City Winery have led to him sharing the stage with Andrew Bird, Rosanne Cash, Aaron Neville, Fred Armisen, AC Newman (of The New Pornographers), Andrew VanWyngarden (of MGMT) and more. He served as musical director and co-producer on Chris Mills' acclaimed orchestral pop release The Wall to Wall Sessions (Ernest Jenning Record Co.), which led to his inclusion in The L Magazine's "Ultimate Brooklyn Supergroup." Additionally, he arranged a Welsh men's choir for the Mekons Jon Langford's Skull Orchard Revisited (Bloodshot Records) and toured the U.S. as the accompanist for American Music Clubs Mark Eitzel in 2012.
Soriano records and remixes under the alias The Kendal Mintcake. His
four releases consist of everything from sample-based plunderphonia to
sprawling serialist compositions to ambient soundscapes, and he has created
remixes for a variety of artists including They Might Be Giants and Dan Bryk.
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