Avant Nova

Avant Nova
EP by Slayr
Released	July 10, 2026 (2026-07-10)
Genres	Rage digicore pop rap EDM
Length	16:33
Label	Columbia
Producers	Chris Marek M8i Nxah Slayr VVSPipes
Slayr chronology
Half Blood (Bloodluxe) (2026) Avant Nova (2026) Fabula Nova (2026)

Avant Nova is the eighth extended play by American rapper Slayr and his first release under Columbia Records. The release serves as a follow-up to BloodLuxe (2026) and as the precursor to his upcoming album, Fabula Nova. The EP contains a guest feature from Prettifun.

Avant Nova is a six-track EP that blends the genres digicore and rage and expands on the sounds that Slayr previously worked with on his previous album. Upon release, the EP generated positive reception, with music critics from HotNewHipHop and laut.de praising the EP's production, Slayr's rapping ability, and the digicore, pop, and rage sensibilities that Slayr showcased throughout.

Background

After Slayr announced Fabula Nova on X, he performed at both Rolling Loud and Summer Smash in Orlando and Chicago, respectively. On June 28, 2026, Slayr announced Avant Nova, originally titling it Prior Nova before changing it to its current name a few days later. The release date was announced on July 6, 2026, with the track list being announced the next day.

The song "I Got Taste" contains lyrics from a freestyle that was performed for XXL before the release of Avant Nova.

Composition

Overview

Avant Nova is a six-track EP that blends the style of digicore and rage. It serves as the precursor to his second studio album Fabula Nova. Sonically, the EP features melodic and noisy production, with Alexander Cole of HotNewHipHop writing how his sound is firmly within the underground meta, lyrically, the tracks see Slayr incorporate a flow similar to that of Lil Uzi Vert.

Songs

The EP starts with "Promise", a song that contains vocal chop elements from Underscores' track "The Peace" off her album U. Lyrically, the track sees Slayr thanking Underscores for clearing the sample, where he raps: "Shoutout April for the sample, we should do some more". According to Zabih Safdari of laut.de he wrote how "Promise" is Slayr's version of Leroy's project "Grave Robbing". "Steal My Swag" comes right after, which has a feature from Prettifun. According to Safdari, he praises the duo's chemistry combination, writing how Prettifun's verse even slightly overshadows Slayr's, he even labeled the track as a "fun" one off the EP. On "Nova", Slayr dives into the rage aspect of the EP, where he raps over a fried and distorted instrumental. Nearing the end of the track, he samples a video clip and makes it clear that he's able to rape on rage instrumentals with the ending going as: " Aha, y'all thought slayr could only do that EDM shit? / Nah, they don't even know what's 'bout to happen, bruh."

Shifting over to "I Got Taste", Slayr keeps up with the rage momentum and sees him unleash his most dynamic flows according to Safdari, additionally, the track is also an extended version of his XXL Freshman freestyle. Sonically, the production stays similar as the previous track, with Anthony Fantano calling it more "grim" than "Nova". It features siren synthesizers and "chunky blown out metal rips." Vocally, Slayr features a rapid flow which is reminiscent to that of Lil Uzi Vert, he then turns on a deep voice which both Fantano and Safdari compared that to of Cookie Monster, Safdari also compared it to Che's track "Promoting Violence off his EP Fully Loaded. Safdari also labeled the track as Slayr's most "ambitious rap performance" as of yet. Shifting to "Having Anxiety Is Annoying", it dives away from the rage sound and picks back up on the melodic digicore sound. Nearing the end of the track, it features an EDM drop which Fantano praises. Lastly, the outro "Raise My Voice" features two contrasting halves sonically and lyrically. According to Fantano, he dubbed it a "strong finish" to the EP.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
TheNeedleDrop	8/10
laut.de

Avant Nova received positive reception from music critics. HipHopDrops's Hattie Lindert said it "Hits like the pre game signal before the whole arena lights up with those digicore beats that twist and turn through experimental soundscapes full of wild vocal chops that will keep your speakers glitching in the best way". Alexander Cole of HotNewHipHop described the EP as "another step forward" for Slayr, who is "on the verge of mainstream superstardom".

In a review done by laut.de, Zabih Safdari rated the project a four out of five, writing that the project is worth a listen despite being shorter and less quality-like compared to Slayr's latter project. He praises Slayr's rapping ability, the refreshing digicore production throughout the project, and the Prettifun feature, which he labeled as a "fun" piece throughout the project. According to Anthony Fantano, he rated the project an eight out of ten, stating that the consistency, quality, and vision that Slayr put into the EP make it a standout EP and one of Fantano's favorite EP's of the year.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Promise"	Evan McDonald Chris Marek April Harper Grey	Slayr Marek	2:47
2.	"Switch My Swag" (with Prettifun)	E. McDonald Michael Pieper Noah McDonald	Slayr Nxah VVSPipes	2:58
3.	"Nova"	E. McDonald M8i	Slayr M8i	2:41
4.	"I Got Taste"	E. McDonald Marek	Slayr Marek	2:22
5.	"Having Anxiety Is Annoying"	E. McDonald N. McDonald	Slayr Nxah	2:36
6.	"Raise My Voice"	E. McDonald Marek	Slayr Marek	3:07
Total length:				16:33

Notes

• All track titles are stylized in all lowercase
• "Promise" contains elements from "The Peace" (2026), as written and performed by Underscores.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from Tidal.

• Slayr – vocals, engineering, mixing, mastering
• Prettifun – vocals on "Switch My Swag"