Published May 26, 2021 7 First and foremost, BC post-punk outfit N0V3L fiercely identify as anti-capitalists. It's a personal statement that extends to the artistic intentions contained in their debut full-length record, NON-FICTION — a functionalist, stony political excursion that parses through manifestations of injustice, inequity and broken systems. With NON-FICTION, vocalist Jon Varley has largely ditched the shrill, new-wave bravado vocal stylings that accented the group's tightly-wound 2019 self-titled EP in favour of a more brutalist, deadpan delivery. Backed by understated, sluggish basslines and frenetic, interwoven guitars, Varley's lyrics paint an extremely grey portrait of modern-day life, examining the symptoms of capitalism through the lens of Vancouver's unforgiving housing market, populism gone awry and the West Coast's opioid crisis without ever feeling too heavy-handed.