Novelists Unveil New Song “Okapi” + Catch Them On Tour With ERRA Right Now
Novelists is currently underway on their US tour supporting ERRA and now the progressive metalcore act from Paris, France have unveiled their next single “Okapi” along with an accompanying music video. “Okapi” is the band’s fourth new single with vocalist Camille Contreras following the release of “Turn It Up (Keyboard Warriors Social Club)”, “Prisoner”, and “Mourning The Dawn”.
Clocking in at four minutes and eighteen seconds, “Okapi” is an atmospheric ballad that stands as a testament to the band’s trials they endured when they began writing this song in 2023. Between moving to different cities, breakups and even loss, “Okapi” became the band’s emotional release of all that pain they had to endure and the strength they found in it to push through. The band took a special approach in filming the music video for “Okapi”. The music video, directed by both Novelists and Seppe Germaux is a one-take performance video of Contreras performing the song in an empty warehouse while wearing flowers in her hair. She is joined by dancer Théa Rodgold who is seen dancing throughout the video. The video starts with Contreras sitting on a bed, comforting Rodgold as she is laying on Contreras’ lap. After singing the first few lines of the song, both get up from the band and perform the rest of the song. “Okapi”’s impact is further amplified in the music video with a gospel chorus chanting the words alongside Contreras. Listeners can definitely relate to the lyrics and will feel feelings of isolation and stress, only to then feel an emotional charge of hope and perseverance in the chorus with Contreras singing “Let go of your fears, you’re not alone, I’m right here. And I will tell you to hold my hand, cause together we could stand.”
"OKAPI was written throughout 2023 and the beginning of 2024; it is a very important song for us as a band and as individuals as it was written through a lot of changes and doubts happening in each of our lives. From moving to a different city to break-ups, death, and sickness in our families, etc. A lot has happened in our personal lives in only a few months. And for those reasons, it took us longer to finish the song than we originally anticipated, but now reflecting on it, I am happy we took the time we needed; the song only ended up even better and more meaningful."
- Novelists on “Okapi”
Novelists are currently on tour in the US supporting ERRA alongside Make The Suffer and Void of Vision. The tour began on May 10th in Mesa, Arizona and will conclude on June 2nd in New York, New York. Other major stops include Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, Toronto, and Montreal. The band will then join Northlane as direct support for their Mirror’s Edge European & UK Tour alongside ten56.
Tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased here.
Novelists are:
Camille Contreras – vocals
Pierre Danel – guitar
Florestan Durand – guitar
Nicolas Delestrade – bass
Amael Durand - drums
