Photo: David McNair
BIO
“Why can’t experimental rock music be more accessible, or even catchy?” With this mission statement, Cleveland songwriter Kris Magnuson and Detroit vocalist Ameera Husein set out to disrupt a genre that, popularly speaking, has largely grown stale. Drawing from stylistic and technical influences as eclectic as flamenco, 90s alternative, punk jazz, and contemporary classical, Ver Novum’s debut LP “A Tacit Accord” foregoes art rock’s bent for soundscape in favor of the song, with ten sonically distinct tracks that meld familiar structures with adventurous harmonies and memorable, soulful vocals. The result is an approachable, “carefully crafted” (Cleveland Scene) concept album that confronts the consequences of burying personal and social anxieties in favor of false, fragile stability.
A classically trained composer, Magnuson’s songs are in part an updated take on the roots of his musical inspiration, namely popular artists such as Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Milton Nascimento, Fiona Apple, and The Smashing Pumpkins. Greatly inspired in recent years by post-rocker Emma Ruth Rundle, Magnuson set on writing the album’s melodies for a female vocalist, and after connecting with Husein in December of 2020, the two began alternating three-hour commutes to rehearse. Production began the following spring at Cleveland’s Lava Room Recording with producer/engineer Mike Brown, with session drumming by Tony Kazel (Oregon Space Trail of Doom), and bass supplied by Toronto composer Quinn Jacobs (Din of Shadows).
“A Tacit Accord” is streaming on all major services now.
