There is a story behind Novitza that makes the title of his debut EP feel more earned than most. More than a decade ago, he traveled to London to audition for an opera company. It did not go the way he hoped. Now he returns to the same city through his own original work, released through the Animal Farm Music imprint, on his own terms and with a much clearer sense of what he is trying to say. That kind of arc does something to a body of work. You can hear it in every track.
Raised in a small town in Montenegro, Novitza built his musical foundation through classical singing and guitar before gradually moving toward something more personal and harder to categorize. The technical training gave him the tools, but what actually shaped his artistic direction was the pursuit of emotional context rather than virtuosity. He became interested in what could be communicated through simplicity and patience rather than through display. The composers he gravitates toward tell you everything: Max Richter, Arvo Pärt, Hans Zimmer. Artists who understand that the space between notes can carry as much weight as the notes themselves.
The EP
From Darkness Unto Light presents itself as a cinematic journey built around contrast. Intimacy against scale. Stillness against movement. Contemplation against strength. That is a framework that could easily collapse into pretension in the wrong hands. Novitza keeps it grounded because the songwriting is strong enough to carry the conceptual weight without leaning on it.
A Beat More for a Waltz opens with fluttering choral vocals and a bright run of instrumental tones before settling into a theatrical pop scene where expressive vocals float above steady rhythmic energy. Rousing instrumentation, marching rhythms, and slick guitar leads build across the arrangement in a way that feels both grand and intimate. It is an unusual combination and it works immediately.
Laeti’t Be the One follows with downtempo beats, soft piano, and plucked pizzicato strings carrying emotive vocals above the arrangement. It swells with orchestral melodic leads that are genuinely stunning without ever overpowering the restraint underneath them. It is the kind of track that reveals more detail every time you listen.
The Brooding and the Song drifts in with chiming tones and a lullaby-like quality before gradually introducing pulsing percussion and the gentle twang of guitar. Elegant vocal leads move over delicate piano notes throughout. This is where Novitza’s compositional voice comes through most clearly. The track knows exactly when to pull back and when to let something through, and that timing is what separates a good arranger from a genuinely distinctive one.
Till the Stars Run Out of Light closes with graceful piano lines and tender vocals swirling into a beautiful orchestral pop finish. It is spectacular in the quietest possible way, which is entirely in keeping with everything the EP has built toward. As final tracks go, it earns its place completely.
The Verdict
From Darkness Unto Light is an impressive debut from an artist who has clearly spent years learning when to speak and when to let the music breathe. The London opera audition that did not work out over a decade ago led, indirectly, to this. The patience it took to get here is audible in every carefully placed note.
This is a name worth remembering.
From Darkness Unto Light is out now via Animal Farm Music. Recorded and produced in London.
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