“I need a reason for who we are.”
Novelists FR have been in a transitional state for quite some time following the departure of founding vocalist Matteo Gelsomino — their third LP C’est La Vie released in January 2020, and his withdrawal from the band so soon after left many wondering what would come of Novelists FR. Hope, however, remained ever-present on the horizon, as ex-Alazka vocalist Tobias Rische entered the fold with an absolute banger (“Lost Cause“) that harkened back to the band’s glory days whilst simultaneously showcasing a hyper-modern sound.
Through their storied history, Novelists FR have released some of my favourite songs, full stop — “Gravity“, “Souvenirs“, “Heal the Wound“. Each of these tracks bear the exact same DNA: emotive ambience, incredibly technical and euphoric guitar solos, the most inspired and inspiring musicality, soaring clean vocals and equally searing aggressive vocals, all combined to make Novelists FR one of my favourite bands of the late 2010’s. Now, let’s explore whether or not Novelists FR’s fourth album, Déjà Vu, still retains the same genome of the band’s past.
Déjà Vu is Novelists FR’s first record featuring Kadinja guitarist Pierre Danel, and opener “Smoke Signals“ wastes no time in making this known with a fucking corker of a guitar solo mere seconds in. The production here is much more dependent on electronics, synths and bass than previous offerings by Novelists FR, giving the band more of a contemporary flavour that mirrors Bring Me The Horizon. It is a shame, however, that this voguish approach did not translate to Déjà Vu’s artwork. Displaying the five-piece progressive metal outfit on the album’s front cover feels like an utterly dated move, echoing back to boybands of the 1990’s.
My main criticism of Déjà Vu regrettably rears its head as early as song two, “Mae“; of the twelve tracks totalling just thirty-four minutes, five of them are mere instrumental interludes connecting each core track. Granted, “Mae“ and the other four interludes (“Colas“, “Erre“, “Rest” and “Bias“) are undoubtedly pretty. However it is simply impossible to ignore the fact that almost half of Déjà Vu’s track-listing is filler, and it is equally impossible to not be disappointed in this given the quality and consistency of the band’s previous records.
The recently released “Heretic” comes next, featuring LANDMVRKS frontman Florent Salfati. With industrial, nu-metal synths and chunky guitar riffs aplenty, “Heretic“ is hefty, anthemic and yet, a little jarring in places. Salfati’s vocal feature is absolutely fine, but Rische’s clean choruses are what really drives the song forward — “Winter” and “Scars” by LANDMVRKS are in my opinion much better examples of the two bands collaborating. Furthermore, the wah-saturated guitar solo two-thirds of the way through feels so out of place in the context of the track’s key and overall energy.
Fifth track “Made By Design” is a love letter to Pendulum in its eclectic electronics throughout, and the vocal tones utilised in the verses particularly have an undeniable Rob Swire vibe. A delightful, delicate solo by founding guitarist Florestan Durand allows the song to transition seamlessly through its break section without overstaying its welcome, making for a magical moment within the track. I just wish, sincerely, that “Made By Design” wasn’t bookended by two of the aforementioned filler interludes.
“The Answer“ is the only other track on Déjà Vu that we’ve not already heard — Novelists FR, together with new label Out Of Line Music, made the questionable decision of dropping five of the seven full tracks prior to the album’s release, the oldest of which was released two whole years ago. I’ll touch on this more next, but “The Answer” fortunately comes through and brings tremendous atmosphere to Déjà Vu at its midpoint.
The final three offerings on Déjà Vu, as mentioned, have been out for some time: “Terrorist“, “Do You Really Wanna Know” and album-closer “Lost Cause“. The former of the three always seemed to land differently with fans — I distinctly recall division surrounding the track’s reception, and it never fully found its way into my playlists or memories. “Do You Really Wanna Know” and “Lost Cause“, however, are masterfully made tracks representing the very best of Novelists FR’s origins and the new direction they are very clearly headed towards. I just find it quite questionable that songs released such a long time ago have found their way onto a record released in the latter half of 2022.
Ultimately, Déjà Vu is likely to be Novelists FR’s most commercially successful release to date, yet I fear it may be another example of a band losing touch with the roots that made them successful in the first place. It is no secret that bands are practically forced to change to maintain relevancy and growth in today’s market, and I have no doubt that Novelists FR have embraced this with standout songs like “Smoke Signals” and “The Answer“. I cannot ignore though, that a decision was made somewhere along the line to collect an EP’s worth of songs — some of which have been out for well over a year — and to add enough filler interludes to where Déjá Vu just about qualifies for album status. The resulting product regrettably feels rather lazy, something I never wanted nor expected to say about Novelists FR.
Déjà Vu by Novelists FR will be released September 23rd via Out Of Line Music, and you can pre-order the album here. For all the upcoming metal releases and music in general, make Boolin Tunes your go-to.
6/10