Panama City Beachโs alt-pop trio The NOVA return stronger and more self-assured than ever with their sophomore EP, How Can I Love You?, released on September 24, 2025. Fronted by Brady Hughes, alongside Grant Tallent on guitar and Will Dolan on drums, the band has carved out a niche with raw rock energy and the sleekness of pop, giving you the vibes of The Maineโs melodic confidence and The 1975โs shimmering emotionality. Written and recorded largely in Bradyโs home studio before being fine-tuned by producer Nelson Pasada, the record captures both personal introspection and musical evolution.
The EP opens with โHeadspace,โ an alt-pop anthem that instantly hits with distorted but polished guitars, driving synth lines, and crisp, pulsing drums. Bradyโs charismatic, youthful vocals float over the layered soundscape, walking the tightrope between soft introspection and contagious euphoria. His delivery is tender yet confident, as he confesses, โOh, I am missing you again / Because your touch, it feels so innocent.โ The arrangement ripples with upbeat and shimmering nostalgia, weighted down with memory that still stings in the best way.
Later, the tempo shifts with โBack To You,โ coming with a modern synth production with an โ80s swing groove reminiscent of Tears for Fearsโ โEverybody Wants to Rule the World.โ The song shimmers fuzzily as the beats thump hard. Brady sings lightly, gently, and vulnerably with that sensitiveness of a heartbroken lover.
Altogether, How Can I Love You? cements The NOVAโs ascent as one of the most promising young pop-rock bands on the rise. Itโs melodic, sincere, and brimming with visceral, heartfelt sensationality.
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Review by: Naomi Joan