ALBUM REVIEW: NOVA TWINS - PARASITES & BUTTERFLIES (29/08/25)
Parasites & Butterflies out now via Marshall Records
Nova Twins - the London-based duo Amy Love (guitar/vocals) and Georgia South (bass/vocals) - published Parasites & Butterflies as their third studio album on 29 August 2025. Building on the success of Supernova (2022), this new record dives deeper into duality - leveraging contrasts between chaos and beauty, light and shade, and vulnerability and empowerment.
Having worked with renowned producer Rich Costey (known for Foo Fighters, Muse, and more), the duo infused the album with expansive, anthemic production, along with some daring pop-leaning experiments.
Earlier this year, the duo released three songs ('Monsters' - January 2025; 'Soprano' - Spring 2025; 'N.O.V.A' - July 2025) showcasing the album’s tension between chaos and beauty, and power and vulnerability. By dropping these three powerful and thematically rich singles, Nova Twins charted a clear path towards Parasites & Butterflies, deliberately revealing the dual nature of their identity and sound.
Heavy and industrial, the raw vulnerability of 'Monsters' and its lyrics “I’m not afraid of monsters, but I’m afraid of myself” suggested a very relatable experience for the audience and announced the album to be more confessional than ever.
By contrast, 'Soprano' reasserted their boldness and playfulness. The single unveiled the butterfly palette: brightness, experimentation, and theatricality. As for 'N.O.V.A', arriving just before the album release, the duo guaranteed a signature concert igniter, with its anthemic quality and empowerment vibe. It's raw, abrasive, and combative. The Rage Against the Machine-style riffing and chant-ready hooks are designed for maximum live energy. The twins reintroduced the parasite side, balancing the emotional weight of 'Monsters' and the eccentric experimentation of 'Soprano'.
Parasites & Butterflies is an album of extremes.
It opens in theatrical fashion with 'Glory', Amy Love’s operatic vocals setting a bold stage that frames the entire record’s ambition. The heavier edge roars through tracks like 'Piranha', built on Georgia's ferocious riffs and groove-laden bass. 'Sandman' pulls inward, a surreal, escapist moment whose imagery gives the album its title. 'Hummingbird', grief-stricken yet tender, honors lost loved ones with restrained beauty, providing the record’s emotional core. Elsewhere, ‘Parallel Universe’ digs into digital anxiety, confronting the pressures of online life and its toll on mental health. Finally, the closing trio - 'Hide & Seek', 'Hurricane', and 'Black Roses' - form a concluding arc: defiance in the face of adversity, resilience against erasure (“Keep the pressure on, ’cause we ain’t going nowhere”).
With Parasites & Butterflies, Nova Twins have crafted an album that doesn’t just expand their sound but deepens their emotional core. By embracing contradictions, the duo prove they are more than genre-bending firebrands; they are artists unafraid to show fragility alongside ferocity. Expect wild genre-blending - operatic pop, rap rock, industrial, electronic layering, and haunting balladry- bound by Georgia South’s versatile bass textures and Amy Love’s expressive vocals.
If you’re into music that’s fierce, liberating, and artfully complex, this album will likely hit you hard - as much emotionally as musically.