Indie combo Tele Novella emerged out of Austin, Texas, in the mid-2010s with an eclectic amalgam of influences ranging from the '80s paisley underground pop scene to honky tonk twang and the more psychedelic elements of Brazil's Tropicalia movement. Fronted by singer/songwriter Natalie Gordon, the band issued their debut, House of Souls, in 2016, returning five years later with the more scaled-down, though equally alluring Merlynn Belle.