12th

Hailing from Los Angeles, The Nova Darlings are a quartet of best friends who in their own words are, “the kids you knew but didn’t know in middle school…that sat alone on the bus with their iPods”.  We last heard from them back in 2018 at the release of their debut album, Ephemera, Etc. Today they’re back with a brand new single, I’m A Good Person (I Swear!).

Walking a similar path to the likes of Frontie Ruckus or Pinegrove, on I’m A Good Person (I Swear!), The Nova Darlings seem to take a magpie-like approach to borrowing the juiciest bits from the history of alternative music. There’s a gentle country-lilt to the chorus, as Mackin Carroll and Sara Mulford emote in perfect harmony, the driving guitar lines will fill fans of early Death Cab for Cutie or Modest Mouse with waves of joy, while the outro has the bombastic honesty of Ben Folds.

Lyrically, the track seems to be grappling with emotions and expectations, and the gap that can form between the two. Initially there’s a laid back nonchalance, “feelings are a fad, so I just sell all mine. Love is so easy, I do it when I’m sleeping”. Throughout the track, the mask seems to slowly slip, as the expectation to behave and think a certain way rush to the fore, “I’m a good person, I swear, how did this happen to me? I never did anything wrong. Is everyone else this afraid?”

Like so much of the best pop music, scratch the surface and there’s layer upon layer of thought and emotion waiting for you below, on this sparkling return The Nova Darlings have never sounded quite so intriguing.

I’m A Good Person (I Swear!) is out now. Click HERE for more information on The Nova Darlings.