“It’s Never Black and White. It’s Always Grey”: Inside Novulent’s Cinematic Coming of Age on VOL. 3

Novulent does not make albums so much as they build worlds. Step into any of their VOL. projects and you’ll find that you’re not simply pressing play, but you are entering a carefully paced coming-of-age film rendered in sound, colour, and texture. 

With anticipation of the release of VOL. 3 on February 13th, the Texas-born artist closes one chapter of their story while quietly “setting fire” to the next. 

We spoke with Novulent last week as they reflected on the release of the work they’re most proud of yet.

“What a lot of people will miss on the first listen is the storytelling aspect,” Novulent says. “People are just now realising that these aren’t random songs put together. It’s an actual story.”

With five singles already released, we have a taste of what VOL. 3 has in store. At first glance, Novulent’s work can feel elusive. Songs drift between post-punk tension and dream pop softness. The lyrics express themselves as both short and powerful or sharply detailed, depending on the emotional moment. But as they explain, none of it is accidental.

VOL. 3 feels like a “matured” continuation

VOL. 1, VOL. 2 and now VOL. 3 were never meant to be collections of disconnected tracks. They are narratives, designed to be experienced from beginning to end.

The shiny new VOL. 3 reflects on love, loss and self-awareness from a wider vantage point, where nothing is clean-cut. As Novulent puts it, “it’s never black and white. Actually, it’s always grey.”

They tell a story that rewards patience. On a first listen, the emotional weight might register before the structure does. On a second or third, the intention becomes clear. Each volume has an opening act, a middle, a rising climax and a proper ending. 

“All the VOL. albums, from a writing standpoint, are basically coming-of-age movies in music form,” they explain. “I thought of it like writing a script. An opening act, a beginning, a middle, a rising climax and a proper ending,” Novulent explained. “Depending on how many songs I had, I’d re-listen and decide which ones communicated the overall point best. A lot got scrapped, and the ones that remained became the final piece.”

That cinematic thinking extends far beyond the music. With VOL. 3, it translates into washed green hues, grainy old iPod camera footage and deliberately DIY imagery. “The green tones, the old iPod camera, the spiky headphones on a regular table. All of that is intentional,” Novulent explains. “It’s meant to feel like home.”

Earlier volumes embraced that rawness even more overtly. VOL. 1 arrived as a duct-taped CD labelled by hand, intentionally unprofessional and unfiltered. It captured the emotional spillage of being 18 and saying everything at once, no matter how awkward it felt. The brutal honesty is exactly why it resonated with so many.

On VOL. 3, vulnerability becomes more refined rather than restrained. Novulent is more specific, more conversational, and more willing to sit with discomfort. “I’ve matured,” they say. “I want people to understand the general idea and apply it to their own lives, but I’ve learned that sometimes being too vague weakens a song.”

Tracks like “New Low” and “R.I.P.” exemplify that shift, feeling less like abstract moods and more like internal monologues. Meanwhile, “Scars”, one of the album’s standout singles, nearly did not exist at all. “It almost got scrapped,” Novulent admits. “When I dropped it, no one really cared. It was the underdog.”

Novulent admits to still recording vocals on their iPhone

Despite the growing scale of their career, Novulent’s process remains strikingly intimate. They still record vocals on their iPhone. “I’ve just gotten better at mixing my vocals so they’re not as scratchy,” they laugh. Confidence, they say, is the biggest difference. “If you’re not confident in your music, how can you expect strangers to take it seriously?”

Looking back, Novulent is careful not to romanticise the struggle, but they acknowledge its importance. Those rough periods shaped everything that followed. Without them, the music would be different, and not necessarily better.

That confidence has helped them navigate an expanding audience without losing perspective. Watching their fanbase grow is still surreal, but what matters most is the absence of distance. “They understand that I’m a person,” Novulent says. “There’s a deep respect, not a weird dynamic. I want to keep that forever.”

One early Dallas show remains especially meaningful. Around 120 people showed up, including one fan who brought her entire group of friends. “She told me how much the music helped her,” Novulent recalls. “They still come to shows to this day. It feels like growing up together.”

That ethos underpins Novas, the community Novulent has built alongside their music. “The goal is to build a community, not just a fanbase,” they say. “Seeing fans interact, make friends and build connections without me even being involved. That’s the most beautiful part. It feels like a village.”

What’s next for Novulent?

At its core, VOL. 3 is about reconciliation, not erasure. “The past isn’t gone,” Novulent says. “But it no longer controls me emotionally.” The album’s emotional centrepiece, which they pin as “Peering Thoughts”, sets that tone from the outset. “Beginnings and endings are what people remember most,” they explain. “That song quietly foreshadows the entire album.”

Let’s be clear: VOL. 3 is not a conclusion. Novulent is clear on that point. “This is a warm-up,” they say, smiling. “Everything after is the full evolution.”

If their previous volumes have taught listeners anything, it is that Novulent always knows where the story is heading, even when they are still inviting us to catch up.

VOL. 3 is available to stream everywhere on 13th February.

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