Stolen Nova Releases Debut Solo Single 'Vortex'

Stolen Nova, the debut solo project from Josh Landau, frontman of the
acclaimed L.A. rock band The Shrine, unveils its first ever single "Vortex" today. The track is
accompanied by a video created with celebrated artist/director Nadia Lee Cohen (Kali Uchis, A$AP Rocky)-listen here and watch.

"'Vortex' started out as a single guitar riff, and originally was more of a fast rock song, somewhere in my comfort zone," says Landau. "After it echoed around in my head and the
melody drove me crazy for some time, I re-approached it inspired by Prince and Funkadelic,
that sort of groove and style. It surprised me and that's when I got excited and it felt like a new universe for me. That universe is Stolen Nova.

"Nadia shot these photos of me for the cover and when we got the film back, she suggested I take a razor blade and cut my mouth out and make it move, 'have the photo sing along to the song.' She showed me this British prank phone call show 'face jacker' or 'phone-jacker,' something like that. It led me to watching Monty Python and old Dada films like An Andalusian Dog, and I leaned heavily into Jamie Reid's art which I've always loved. I got obsessed and it spiraled into what you see here. Hours of cutting my head off and making it fly out of an egg and onto a woman's body. When nothing is real, everything is possible."

Landau grew up on the westside of Los Angeles; a Santa Monica High School student obsessed with Hendrix, Prince, Black Flag and Sabbath. His upbringing revolved around the Dogtown and Z-Boys lifestyle of the neighborhood; surfing Venice Beach and skateboarding in the empty swimming pools of Beverly Hills.

He spent the end of the 2010s touring the world with The Shrine-opening for the likes of Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden and headlining sold out shows as far flung as Japan, Australia and Russia. The Shrine were firmly rooted in the skateboarding community, often playing parties for Thrasher Magazine and soundtracking skate videos, in addition to ongoing collaborations with Obey's Shepard Fairey-who designed album art for the band and had them perform at his most recent "Damaged" solo art show, where they did an encore set with original Black Flag singer Keith Morris; and Converse-for whom Landau designed a signature shoe.

Stolen Nova was born as Landau began to realize that he had accomplished his teenage dreams-playing with the legends from whose songs he'd first learned guitar, collaborating on a skateboard with Z-Boy Jim Muir, opening for Slayer all over Europe-with The Shrine. Instead of resting on his laurels, Landau embarked in search of new inspiration, discovering new pockets of his hometown and spending months couchsurfing in London. Upon returning home, he laid down the rough ideas of what would become "Vortex." Much more music from Stolen Nova is imminent.

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