Neva Dinova’s reinvigorating full-length Canary features a new lineup, fresh perspective and a sound more urgent than anything they’ve created in the past. Recast after 15 years of inactivity and newly energized by a tour offer from longtime Omaha friends Cursive, songwriter/guitarist/singer Jake Bellows started sending demos to drummer Roger L. Lewis and just-recruited bassist Megan Siebe. They began woodshedding new songs, and the latest incarnation of Neva Dinova was born. After an East Coast run, the band returned to Omaha to record Canary at Make Believe Studios. “I’m trying to cover a lot more space in the band now because there’s only one guitar, so I write a little differently in order to cover that space.” (An understatement considering the previous lineups of the band featured three guitarists.) The result is an album that is more focused while still allowing for the occasional Neil Young-inspired guitar solo or unexpected sonic flourish.

The songs on Canary were honed on the road allowing for a largely live recording session that captures the visceral energy of the band. There’s a beauty in the imperfections: The subtle buzzing of the amp, the finger noise on the strings and Bellows’s voice rising above all of it in a way that’s distinctly Neva Dinova. Canary is a raw and unfiltered glimpse of Bellows’s psyche and an electrifying batch of songs — unpretentious, empathetic, weathered, and wizened. It also marks a second act for one of indie rock’s most underrated acts.

Belda Beast - Redding Indie Rock

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