Coda
Novelists
A new singer can change a band quite a bit. On Coda, Camille Contreras gives Novelists a much wider range of options, and they seem happy to use them. There are still heavy riffs and tightly controlled rhythms, but the softer parts matter just as much. The interesting question is usually where the next song will take her voice.
Say My Name is a good introduction. It gives Contreras room to sing before the heavier sections arrive, and the guitar work adds detail without getting in her way. Novelists have never been short of musicianship. Here, the technical parts work best when they help the song grow rather than simply prove that everybody has practised.
The title track keeps that balance going. Its clean singing and heavier passages feel connected, which makes the switches more effective. All For Nothing has the kind of chorus that gives this album a route beyond the usual metalcore audience. It is polished, certainly, but the delivery has enough force to stop that becoming a problem.
The record gets more interesting when it moves around a little. Sleepless Nights takes a longer route, allowing its quieter moments and progressive guitar parts to develop. There's a sense of space that some of the shorter, more direct tracks could use. 78 rue... goes further into a soft, hazy atmosphere. It's a useful change of pace before CRC brings back the harder rhythms.
There is still something quite familiar about parts of the album. The clean production can make the heavier sections feel a little too safe, and the contrast between a melodic chorus and a heavy drop isn't exactly a new discovery. Contreras does a lot of the work in making those moments distinctive.
Fortunately, she is very good at it. The closing K.O. pulls the vocal range and detailed guitars together with a proper sense of purpose. Coda doesn't abandon the band's identity, but it gives that identity more room to develop. The strongest songs suggest that Novelists can keep the technical playing while becoming a much more engaging band. That's a good trade.
