IN THE FALL OF 2012, THE NOVEL IDEAS were playing around with a song they’d never performed live. The four friends sat in a room in their house in Brighton, Massachusetts, contemplating the song’s mechanics. They sang together, trying out different harmonies and arrangements until, finally, it clicked. Vocalist Daniel Radin recalls, “When we finally got the four-part harmony down, it was this moment where we realized like ‘oh, this isn’t just an element of our music—it’s a feature.”
It was an important realization for the The Novel Ideas—a moment when the band began to understand their artistic partnership. Since then, they’ve earned a reputation from music critics and fans for their moving four-part harmonies and rich Americana sound. From rock clubs to living rooms to festival stages, the band strives to convey honesty and intimacy through their music.
Featuring the voices of three songwriters, their newly-released self-titled album, produced by Rick Parker (Lord Huron) and mixed by Ryan Freeland (Ray LaMontagne, Bonnie Raitt), showcases the band at its best. Capturing the spirit of their live performance in recorded form wasn’t easy, but the result is a heartfelt representation of who The Novel Ideas are as a band. Track by track, The Novel Idea represents a contribution to the country-folk scene that balances love-and-loss melancholy with thoughtful instrumentation and intricate vocal arrangements.
The Novel Ideas are a country-folk quartet of friends hailing from the great state of Massachusetts:
Sarah Grella - Vocals
Danny Hoshino - Guitar, Pedal Steel, Vocals
James Parkington - Bass, Vocals
Daniel Radin - Guitar, Vocals
