The forward thinking purveyors of futuristic rock return, poised to conquer the mainstream.

Nova Twins form the latest discussion point in the ongoing financial crisis versus the ongoing state of rock music. Nova Twins have a UK tour in October and not a single venue is yet sold out. They ought to be selling out venues far bigger than what they have booked. So is it nobody has any money, rock is a genre in major decline or that rock music remains gate-keepered by middle-aged white guys? Nova Twins stand out from the rock pack primarily on talent and ability, but as two non-white women they are rare exceptions in a white male field.

New album ‘Parasites and Butterflies’ is front loaded with huge tunes. ‘Glory’ warms things up nicely before we hit a run of singles. ‘Piranha’ has a stonking bass line before opening up at around 50 seconds. It then develops into a great breakdown for the final thirty seconds. Lyrically it is quite oblique, a lot of these tracks are open to very differing interpretations.

‘Monsters’ is one of the best singles released all years. Back in January we wrote, “Like Bring Me The Horizon, Nova Twins represent the absolute bleeding edge of modern rock. This first release from their next album is ferocious, confident and futuristic.” It is the perfect centrepiece to the album. Lyrically it references wanting to get to heaven but being stuck in hell and “I’m not afraid of monsters, but I’m afraid of myself.” Who are the monsters? Why is the protagonist afraid of themselves? No answers, only questions here.

‘Soprano’ is an interesting track. Vocally they introduce a range of different tricks, borrowing more from the pop and R & B playbook alongside their borderline rap delivery they sometimes employ. ‘N.O.V.A.’ is musically like Muse or Royal Blood, but again you couldn’t imagine either of those bands deploying a vocal style like the one used here. Hurricane is equally quirky.

There is a lot more contrast on show here than on their previous album, reflected in the altered mirror image of the cover. One side the parasites, the other side the butterflies. There is heavy rock here, but there is also a more vulnerable underbelly.

This is a very strong offering from Nova Twins. It is the sound of tomorrow, not stuck in the past. We are seeing them in October and cannot wait for the full live experience. They deserve to be massive, we will see if the new album moves the dial further in their favour, or not.