Our 2022 Annual Report continues with the announcement of our Rookie of the Year, a title we give to an artist we feel broke out and made a major statement in 2022. Stay tuned for the rest of our annual report, detailing the best music, film, and television of the year. Check it all out here.
Six months ago, up-and-coming British rock-fusion duo Nova Twins dropped their sophomore effort, Supernova. It’s a record that’s as in-your-face as the cover art, with the hard-hitting, irresistible aggression of bangers like “Antagonist” and “Choose Your Fighter.” Here at Consequence, we loved it so much that we crowned Nova Twins our June Artist of the Month. We haven’t been able to get past it since, so we’re doubling down and dubbing them 2022’s Rookie of the Year.
Of course, Nova Twins’ journey didn’t begin in 2022. You can find recordings on streaming services dating back to 2016, and the duo’s masterminds Amy Love and Georgia South made early fans of icons like Tom Morello years ago. In a normal timeline, their 2020 debut full-length Who Are the Girls? would have been their breakthrough, but for such an electric live act, not being able to tour has its effects. Luckily, this year was a different story.
“We never experienced doing shows in different parts of the world, so it was so mind blowing to us that we’d go to places we’d never been and people were singing our songs,” Love tells Consequence of Nova Twins’ past year. “It was definitely quite an emotional year in that sense, just realizing how far music can go and how it can touch people as well.”
Supernova was released to wide acclaim, gaining Love and South an increased global audience. Even Elton John publicly sang the duo’s praises. The result was a slew of high-profile festival slots, Nova Twins’ first American headline tour, and a spot on the Mercury Prize shortlist.
And yet, their newfound popularity doesn’t stop the duo from exuding enough confidence to power a small town.
“It was always an award that we wanted to be a part of; we dreamt of it. It was like, yeah, one day we’ll be nominated or we’ll be shortlisted,” Love says of their Mercury Prize placement. “And we’ve always thought like that, actually. And then when it actually happened, you’re like, fuck. Like, we manifested that shit!”
And manifest they did. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to write an album’s worth of politically-tinged bangers. As Nova Twins’ explosive 2022 comes to a close, the two continue their well-deserved victory lap, selling out shows worldwide and slowly increasing the size of their font with every new festival poster. Watch out for Nova Twins — or don’t. They’ll blow past you either way.
Check out the full interview with Consequence’s 2022 Rookie of the Year Nova Twins below, in which Amy Love and Georgia South recap their year, talk about making a movie in the desert, and give a peek into what 2023 might have in store.
