Nova Charisma release Exposition III, out today!
Photo Credit: Ebru Yildiz
WATCH: “The Greater Cause” (Official Video)
STREAM: Exposition III
Today, progressive duo Nova Charisma surprised fans with the release of Exposition III on Equal Vision Records. The third installment of the project from the minds of Donovan Melero (Hail The Sun) and Sergio Medina (Royal Coda) sees the pair exploring lighter sounds while still infusing the emotionally gripping lyrical content found in the first two expositions. For Exposition III, the band worked with producer Kris Crummett (Dance Gavin Dance, I The Mighty) who helped them execute captivating synth tones and massive choruses across the three tracks on the release.
Focusing on the overarching theme of being able to overcome and grow from pain, the songs touch upon acts such as self-harm and navigating malicious intentions. Opener “The Greater Cause” bursts with vibey guitars as Melero explores the act of observing self-harm from an outsider’s perspective, through the lens of empathy rather than judgement. The band also shared a music video for the track today, which was directed by Orie McGinness (The Word Alive, Wage War), who met with the pair on location in Las Vegas to film the dark and socially distant clip. Diving through the other tracks on the EP, “Hurt The Worst” marks the band’s most open and breezy track yet, while “Float Up. Stay There.” takes a more experimental approach. Closing with the line “we all turn the page”, the band sets the scene for another chapter in the world of Nova Charisma. You can stream Exposition III in full here now and purchase the vinyl, limited to 250, here.
On the release, Melero stated:
“This is the last installment of the songs we wrote and recorded in the summer of 2019. One of our goals has been trying our hand at creating music outside of what we normally do, and we feel that Exposition III is another gradual move towards that direction. “
While Nova Charisma is definitively Donovan Melero and Sergio Medina, they had some familiar collaborators for the launch of the project. For pre-production, the duo worked with Hail The Sun’s touring drummer, Allen Casillas, and Medina’ bandmate in Stolas, Carlo Marquez, was also pivotal in establishing the sound of the band throughout the writing and recording processes. For Medina, Nova Charisma offers the chance to challenge himself as a writer outside of the technical proficiency of his signature style as he aimed to craft songs built around simpler instrumentation and arrangements. Melero also found new territory with the project, as he was able to create a new persona for the project that explored a different side of his own personality, both lyrically and melodically. The band’s debut, Exposition I, sold out of the vinyl release before fans heard even a single note of music, and the excitement around Exposition II was just as strong. Following a sold out run of live shows in December 2019, Nova Charisma have been able to continue pushing the boundaries of their artistic limitations with the release of Exposition III.
Exposition III Tracklist:
1. The Greater Cause
2. Hurt The Worst
3. Float Up. Stay There.