Meath band N.O.A.H have released their highly anticipated debut EP ‘Echoes of The Night’. ‘Echoes of The Night’ is a summation of the past 16 months for this new band, both in metaphor and in sound.
The EP sees N.O.A.H teaming up with Grammy-Winning Ruadhri Cushnan who produced the record in Camden Studios, as well as John Davis who mastered the record in Metropolis Studios, London
I caught up with lead vocalist and guitarist Ryan Hill to talk about the EP, the significance of the lyric ‘Echoes of The Night’ from the band’s debut single ‘Shine’ and why it was chosen for the EP’s title.
“ ‘Shine’ had such a big impact on the band and the actual line itself resonated with us. It summed up the meaning of the EP altogether, and the sound as well and how much it meant to have our first single out. ‘Shine’ explains this journey that we went on to get to the point where we are at and it just made sense to have it for the EP”
‘Echoes of The Night’ is a diverse collection of tracks that displays different facets of the bands sound. The trio pack in hefty indie anthems like ‘Shine’ and ‘Darkest Hour’ but they show a knack for navigating through pop, soul with some electronic and funk in the mix as well. Ryan explained to me that these songs were specifically chosen to showcase their versatility as a band as well as an overspill of their different tastes and styles.
“To be honest, it’s probably a mix of both. Last year, over the lockdown we wrote, I’d say, around 30 to 40 songs. When it came to picking an EP, as you can see, six songs, it’s a big EP and the reason behind that was because when it came to narrowing down to the set amount of songs for EP itself we wanted to pick something [ that ] gave the listeners something different every time they went on to a track. As you said yourself you do have those, indie kind of anthems like ‘Shine’ and ‘Darkest Hour’ but as you go on through the EP you have songs like ‘I’m Not Scared’, [ it ] was to show how versatile we can be as a band. It’s our influence as well, you know, Ronan [Hynes] our drummer would listen to a lot of Hip Hop, EDM and Dance music, [ these ] influences are in there as well. So it was probably a bit of both and that’s why we went for those six songs out of like 40 other tracks to go on the EP”
“It was a nightmare because we had ourselves picking songs and then we had other members of our team that were [ saying ] ‘Oh, you have to go with this one’. So yeah it was a difficult choice to narrow it down.”
‘I’m Not Scared’ features Hare Squead who bring a hip hop style to the band’s cinematic sound. The duo perfectly matches the anthemic, eerie and expressive instrumentation with their fluid raps.
“Well, we recorded with Ruadhri Cushnan in Camden Studios, and Hare Squead were in there most of the time in the other room. Our main goal for that track, the last track on the EP was to experiment with something different, and when we were in with Ruadhri, it was a case of, we’d like to have someone in doing freestyle rap over this verse and that was always the main goal. It just made sense because the lads from Hare Squead were popping in and out while we were recording, and we just thought it’d be a cool collaboration. It’s kind of always been like that it was the same when we did ‘Darkest Hour’, we wanted to get Booka Brass on because it’s great to work with other Irish artists, so yeah, it just made sense”
Not only have N.O.A.H become known for their powerful and evocative musicianship, but their lyrics also capture the listener’s attention through meaningful and clever turns of phrase. Especially within ‘I’m Not Scared’ they are particularly moving,“ these silver bullets cut me open now everyone can see right through me”. Ryan explained to me what inspired these lyrical moments.
“Yeah, all these tracks were written over the lockdown. I believe that when you’re writing lyrics it comes from life experience but I found over the lockdown, you’re constantly writing, you get to the stage [ where ] you’re not seeing new things. You’re kind of locked away at home and stuff like that. So I think that it got to the stage for myself [ where ] writing was like almost creating your own story. Even for ‘I’m Not Scared’ the idea I got from that was a man that was losing hope which I suppose the meaning resonates with the listener because during that time of lockdown a lot of people were losing hope.I tried to stick to that theme but, as you said make it more creative. I think even for me from a writing side it was different, it’s just to pinpoint on that theme of isolation, loss of hope, you know”
“Yeah, and some people would ask me, ‘oh, what’s the song about’ and it was in the moment you know, it’s a story that you’re telling and it can be difficult to explain [ that ] sometimes.”
Ryan shows a lot of diversity and range in his vocals throughout the EP. From falsetto in ‘I’m Not Scared’, tenderness in ‘Turn Your Heart Around’ and powerfully emotive in ‘Hands Up’. It’s a confident vocal display that matches the band’s masterful musicianship and marks him as a vocalist to keep an eye on.
“You know, I think it was only in the past year when we were doing demos at home. Sometimes you’d get in a rut where songs sound the same, and no matter how much you change them up instrumentally you have to look further and say let’s look at the vocals themselves. I think I’d be more confident now when it comes to the vocals, and that has a lot to do with people we’ve worked with as well in the studio like when we were working with Ruadhri he’d guide me in a way that we can do things differently, that I wouldn’t have even thought of. I’m not vocally trained, and never had any vocal coach or anything like that so for me it’s taking advice from people who’ve worked with other artists that probably are vocally trained to do things in a certain way. Yeah, I think after doing this EP I’d have more confidence in my vocals.”
“Hands Up was one of the main tracks that when we were in the studio, a lot of emphasis was on how that [ vocals ] was going to be done, and Ruadhri guided me in a way to not [ do ] the usual sort of belted out vocal, to do more intimate and you know, closer to me kind of stuff. It definitely was different for me as well, it’s a lower register, a bit quieter”
‘Darkest Hour’ is my favourite song on the EP. The sing-along hook, dark atmosphere, and vibrant brass combination are simply magnificent. However, there is something special about ‘I’m Not Scared’ the emotion it evokes is on another level to the rest of the tracks on the EP. It’s a great track to end the EP and teases a different sound from N.O.A.H. Ryan told me why he is most proud of ‘I’m Not Scared’.
“‘I’m Not Scared’, the reason is that we’ve been sitting on that song for over a year, and it was always that one track that sounded a bit different to the rest. When we recorded the EP itself that was the last one we worked on. There was a stage where, ‘we know what the song is but can we actually make this a track on the EP’. It was just one big idea and we had to get the song done in two recording sessions. It was a bit of a rush to do it, but then when we heard that finished product, I think it resonated with me the most even though it is the last one out of the bunch. I’m just delighted to hear it in its full, complete stage”
But it has to be said ‘Turn Your Heart Around’ is a beautiful song. The band strip all the lush production back allowing Ryan’s voice to express the tender emotion before slowly building to a cinematic crescendo. The track is an utterly time stopping listening experience.
“We started this off on an acoustic guitar with the chords. Adam actually wrote the lyrics for that track as well so I think I had the chords on the acoustic guitar and then he just came in and said we’ll try out these lyrics. That was a demo that we wrote I think around seven, eight months ago. I think one morning we were sitting there, and it didn’t take much time at all, we sat there and Adam handed me the lyrics and it happened naturally. Obviously, there was improvements made to it. But it really just happened naturally. Even in that track it’s sort of a belt out vocal but it’s a comfortable song to sing you know, and it still has that emotional thread throughout the whole track as well.”
Each member’s musical prowess is what makes N.O.A.H’s sound so special. All three members Ryan along with bassist Adam Rooney, and drummer Ronan Hynes have talent in abundance which they bring to the band to create tight, cohesive and arena-worthy tunes that are irresistible to the ears.
“Yeah, definitely. I think especially over the past few months we’ve all improved on our instruments and stuff like that. We can bring more to the table now than before. We’re more comfortable playing because we’ve been together nearly every day for the past few months. We’ve gone more in-depth in certain things we can do, whether it be on synths, keyboards, guitar sounds, drums a whole lot you know. I think it makes a big difference, it’s kinda opened our eyes to the stuff we can do.”
‘I’ll Be There’ is a wonderful tune. It changes the pace of the EP allowing the band to present a glorious gem through refined and beautifully arranged instrumentation. It’s that sunshine in a tune earworm that brightens every day. The rhythm and bass in particular in the song is fun and bouncy. ‘I’ll Be There’ is going to be one sing-along moment at gigs that will ooze feel-good vibes.
“That was one of the last tracks that we picked to go on the EP. I suppose you could say that the actual tempo of the track is a lot quicker than the others, it’s a 60 BPM of a track even though it sounds quite chill, it’s a very quick song but it was one of the first that we recorded when we were in Camden Studios, it was sort of a pick me up track and I suppose almost going back to our roots of playing or where we got our main influences from Kings Of Leon, The Killers and stuff like that. We all love rock music and indie rock music and we wanted to emphasize that in the song and even working with Ruadhri he said I want people on this EP to hear that it is a band, it’s a full band playing in a room. So, yeah, I think it’s just to give that more natural band vibe to the song, once again having the first sing along when it comes to playing live as well”
N.O.A.H will take to the main stage in Whelan’s on the 10th of December. These songs are destined for the live setting and the band are buzzing to play for their fans.
“Well, we played a few months ago the first indoor gig in Navan in the Solstice Theatre, it was a big place and it was only holding 50 people. It was our first time playing these tracks, and it’s weird because you’re so used to hearing the songs through headphones, and then when you go to play them live with real instruments it’s a loud show but it packs a punch you know. People can expect it will be a great show. We’ve had nothing but time to rehearse and we’ll always put on a great show. We can’t wait to be honest, we can’t wait to play.”
It’s an exciting time for N.O.A.H. The band has achieved a tremendous amount already. From signing with Mother Artists, supporting Bell X1 to performing live on BBC Radio. The lead single from ‘Echoes of the Nights’, ‘Hands Up’ was released in late July and has received amazing support from Irish radio and the wider media. Highlights include being playlisted on RTÉ 2FM as well as being chosen as one of the iLove Tracks for September on iRadio. Ryan told me what we can look forward to from the band in the future.
“What we’re looking at now is short term goals, we’re supposed to be doing an Irish tour in February and to be honest I think it’s going to be almost like a repeat of, we go back and write new tracks, start touring next year around Europe and maybe get over to America, hopefully. It’s just gonna be a case of writing and gigging when everything opens back up and yeah, hopefully, take over the world of music”
‘Echoes of The Night’ is a spectacular debut EP from N.O.A.H. The band showcase their boundless talent through this vibrant, musically dense and hook-filled collection of tracks. Within the EP there are immaculate moments of heightened emotion relayed through irresistible melodies, driving rhythms and majestic guitar work that takes your breath away. N.O.A.H are a band to treasure and if ‘Echoes of The Night’ is anything to go by this band have a bright future ahead.
Stream ‘Echoes of The Night’ below
Author: Danu
