Novulent

Novulent was born in 2004 in Dallas, Texas, and spent their^[a] childhood moving around the Dallas area with their parents, who immigrated to the city from Zimbabwe shortly before their birth.^[1] At the age of nine, Novulent became interested in rock music after hearing the Deftones song "Change (In the House of Flies)" whilst watching Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Revenge.^[2] Novulent's father strictly prohibited rock music in their house for religious reasons, although he had become more lenient by the time of his death from a sudden illness, when Novulent was 13 years old.^[1] They started out playing violin,^[1] and initially aspired to become a tattoo artist before deciding to pursue music when they were 17.^[2] They initially named themselves Nova before renaming themselves Novulent, due to the former name being taken.^[1]

Novulent initially recorded songs on BandLab using an iPhone 6 after working at a gas station in the mornings and afternoons.^[1] Their debut single, "M.I.A", was released in 2022.^[1] In late 2023, their single "Savior" became popular on TikTok; Eli Enis of Stereogum described the song as being "paradigmatic 2023 shoegaze" for its association with the app.^[3] In March 2024, their 2023 single "Scars" went viral on TikTok^[4] after being used in a social media post by Megan Thee Stallion,^[1][2] and subsequently debuted at number 45 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart;^[4][5] its success led Novulent to drop out of college.^[2] In August 2025, the song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[6]

Based off their success on streaming platforms, Novulent signed with Capitol Records in 2024,^[1] releasing their debut EP through the label, Before Evolution, in January 2025.^[7] In April and May 2025, they released the singles "New Low" and "RIP" in anticipation of their major label debut, Vol. 3.^[8][9] In September and October, they performed at the Furnace Fest^[10] and toured with members of the Baltimore band The Missing Peace.^[1] By November, Novulent had scrapped 12 songs and begun working on Vol. 3 from scratch, as they felt its material was not up to par with their peers such as Wisp, Quannnic, and Midrift.^[2] On November 29, they held the inaugural edition of their rock festival, Novmas Fest, at Puzzles in Deep Ellum, Dallas.^[2] Vol. 3 was released on February 13, 2026.^[11]

Since the release of their 2023 single "Blinded",^[1] Novulent's output has showcased a shoegaze^[1][13] and dream pop^[2] sound that incorporates elements from alternative metal,^[13] nu metal,^[1] grunge,^[13] and slowcore.^[1] Matt Collar of AllMusic described the sound of their early output as "cloud rap-adjacent".^[13] Their songs incorporate sludgy,^[13] atmopsheric guitars and vocals, and lyrics Eric Snider of Creative Loafing Tampa described as "all but indistinguishable".^[1] Sean Stroud of the Dallas Observer also noted their general brevity and lack of repetition.^[2] Novulent has cited Deftones as their favorite band,^[2] and the Whirr album Feels Like You (2019) as a significant influence on shaping their music.^[1] They have also cited Plastic Tree^[12] and the soundtrack of Persona 5 (2016), their favorite video game, as influences.^[2]