Novella

Hollie Warren and Suki Sou, who had lived together in Brighton while bonding over shoegaze acts including My Bloody Valentine and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, joined forces with Linda Jarvis to launch Houdini Kill Sale. That effort stalled before advancing beyond initial rehearsals, prompting the three to disband, after which Jarvis pursued a separate path by founding Echo Lake. Warren and Sou relocated to London and, alongside Sophy Hollington, established Novella in February 2010. Their first release arrived in autumn 2011 as the double A-side single “The Things You Do”/“Oh Brian” on Dirty Bingo Records. Rory Atwell, known for his work with Male Bonding and Veronica Falls, handled production; the resulting polished sound, colored by 1960s psychedelia, emerged after the group spent six months woodshedding without performing live. With Iain Laws added on drums, Novella soon shared stages with Dum Dum Girls, Veronica Falls, and Friends, then issued a self-titled EP—again produced by Atwell—via Italian Beach Babes in May 2012. Following that record they toured, including a stretch in France supporting La Sera, and put out the four-song cassette Murmurs in October 2013.

To track their debut album the musicians set up in a former East London clothing factory during a cold January week, working with producers Joshua Third of the Horrors and Jonas Verwijnen of Moon Duo. The remainder of the year was devoted to gigs, individual side projects, and the addition of keyboardist Isabel Spurgeon. The completed Land LP surfaced on Sinderlyn Records in May 2015. After its release the band toured the U.K. with Cheatahs and, in early 2016, spent a month performing across Europe. Prior to beginning their next album, Spurgeon departed to form JC Flowers. The remaining four-piece moved into the home studio of James Hoare (Veronica Falls, Ultimate Painting) and captured the material on an eight-track tape machine; Sinderlyn issued the resulting album in early 2017.