On lovable, the full-length debut of Roz Raskin’s NOVA ONE, the solo performer examines queerness, femininity, and gender through a gorgeously moody ‘60s-inspired pop lens. Following the release of secret princess, a six-track EP released through Community Records, the Providence-based artist returns, unveiling a collection of musical gems that practically sparkle, thanks in large part to a spirit of constant sincerity and a tender boldness.

Recorded over six months, lovable, released April 24, 2020 on Community Records, is an ode to the processes and trials of life that make us human. Featuring delicate instrumentals often swathed in a hazy fuzz and Raskin’s lush soprano, the album explores the necessity of honoring the slowness of healing. lovable examines the importance of self-acceptance, and the process of seeing and understanding one’s sexuality and gender presentation. For the record, Raskin was joined on instrumentals by drummer Casey Belisle, and engineers and producers Bradford Krieger and Chaimes Parker of Big Nice Studio .

Such important topics are handled with utter grace, and the performer’s presentation of dreamy pop feels as if you’ve been entrusted with holding impassioned, heartfelt secrets. On tracks “feeling ugly” and “somebody,” Raskin explores queerness and celebrates the continued desire to truly love and accept one’s body. Raskin further expands on this narrative for live performances, and is joined by a rotating cast of musicians that perform in femme drag as a homage to the strength of femminity displayed by girl groups past and present.

Elsewhere on the album, NOVA ONE explores the many facets of romance. “lovable” and “let’s party” take a devastatingly beautiful glance at the complicated nature of loving someone that’s struggling with alcoholism, while “light years” and “down” consider the act of falling for someone that eventually comes to let you down.

In life, it can often feel as if you’re a singular person experiencing a struggle or transition that no one could possibly understand. However, lovable is the sweetest amount of strength that celebrates the beauty of growing pains and the act of carrying on. For those instances when you feel alone, when you’re unsure of your own identity or you’re wishing for someone to share the deepest desires of your heart with, NOVA ONE offers this record as an answer. lovable is a hand to hold in the darkness, a sincere friend that for one, all too brief, moment wholly understands what you’re going through.