Breakout Irish indie rock band N.O.A.H have released their blistering new single ‘Something To Believe In’.The track follows the recent single ‘Sour Kiss’ which received more than 500 plays across Irish/UK and International radio and reached #2 on the Amazing Radio Charts.
Boasting crisp production and expressive melodies; ‘Something To Believe In’ is a time-stopping listen.The band take icy guitar lines and weave them between driving bass and powerful drums to create the perfect balance between hauntingly cold and vibrant edgy indie. This song is superbly crafted. It ebbs and flows with subtle textures of shimmering synths and heavy rock riffs while Ryan’s sweet falsetto glissades upon a chilling melody that at times cools the fiery instrumental outbursts. Well balanced and laced in N.O.A.H’s superb brand of effervescent musianship ‘Something To Believe In’ is an exciting addition to their fantastic catalogue
About the track the band said: “We love the fact we can mash our heavier rock influences with our pop-rock melodies and indie guitars. It feels like we are pushing ourselves and our sound.
This is the most authentic we’ve ever sounded, it’s the type of song we’ve always wanted to make. We were inspired by bands like Nothing But Thieves, Bring Me The Horizon and Fontaines DC”
N.O.A.H, the breakout Irish indie rock band have released their highly anticipated new single ‘Sour Kiss’.’Sour Kiss’ is a poignant and introspective exploration of a toxic relationship, delving into themes of deception, emotional pain, and the transient nature of happiness. Formed by lifelong friends Ryan Hill, Adam Rooney, and Ronan Hynes in January 2020, N.O.A.H emerged amidst the global pandemic, symbolising a fresh beginning and the determination to make their voices heard. With their debut single, “Shine,” released in September 2020, N.O.A.H garnered significant attention from music critics and fans alike. They quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, gaining airplay on prominent Irish radio stations and even recording an exclusive acoustic rendition of “Shine” for BBC5 Live’s Laura Whitmore. Following their successful debut, N.O.A.H continued to make waves in the music scene. Their debut EP, “Echoes of the Night,” produced by Grammy-winning Ruadhri Cushnan, showcased their dynamic sound and garnered international acclaim, transcending genres and captivating listeners far and wide. The band solidified their presence in the UK music scene with regional radio play and a thrilling live performance on CBBC’s ‘Saturday Mashup.
Boasting driving indie elements, glorious melodies and expressive songwriting ‘Sour Kiss’ is a thrilling new tune from N.O.A.H. There is much to admire about this track. Tension simmers through the verses as Hill’s expressive vocals aptly convey the emotional turmoil of a toxic relationship while buoyant drums, bubbling bass and jagged guitars complement the lyrics wonderfully before the chorus erupts with the band’s enigmatic energy. An intriguing aspect of the track is the twinkling keys which inject a refreshing ethereal tone between the consuming and intoxicating wall of sound and gives the listener a sense of hope throughout the tune.
N.O.A.H are getting better and more exciting with each musical release. Their sound is simply captivating and ‘Sour Kiss’ is a fine example of this.
A night of irresistible tunes and bellowed choruses resounded through Whelan’s last Thursday night all thanks to headliners, indie band N.O.A.H. Nothing, not even a bust snare drum could stop these guys from putting on a memorable show full of stadium-worthy energy and indie rock bravado.
But first, ready to warm up the crowd with their lush harmonies and sweet melodies was sister duo Zeztra. With charming personalities and tunes dripping in R&B tones, alternative pop and sincere lyrics, the duo were a joy to listen to. They set the mood beautifully from the very first song with their warm guitar, rich rhythms and balmy soundscapes while the sweet blend of their voices moved between captivating tones as they poured themselves into the songs. An enjoyable start to the night.
Limerick-based folk band Kingfisher followed. Taking a very casual approach to their set the band produced a wholesome rich sound that oozed infectious tones. With a hearty banjo adding a dash of traditional charm to the band’s tracks; Kingfisher had the crowd in the palm of their hands. They powered through their set encouraging the audience to sing along to their hooks and even had a couple waltzing to one of their tracks. Filled with warm basslines, some pretty slick guitar work and catchy melodies Kingfisher put on a fun set from start to finish.
The crowd erupted into a mass of dancing and singing as ‘Darkest Hour’ triumphantly introduced N.O.A.H. to the stage. This band are mesmerizing on stage and their sound is wonderful to experience in the live setting. Their set was filled with thrilling rhythms, soaring guitar and roaring bass grooves. N.O.A.H’s sound is impressive and the three-piece wasted no time in delighting the crowd’s ears. Ryan Hill is a charismatic frontman, he reached out to the crowd while singing, paraded up and down the stage and kept the fans enamoured by his radiant stage presence. The audience sang every word to the band’s tracks and danced as if their lives depended on it and, lucky for them N.O.A.H. had plenty of danceable genre-bending tunes to delight the audience’s ears with. The band’s set was a relentless onslaught of banging tunes with Ronan Hynes at the helm on drums pounding out slick and resounding grooves that perfectly complemented Adam Rooney’s superb laid-back bass.
These guys are professional. A small snare drum mishap sees them halt the show for a quick repair and a bit of fill-in banter before the band continued their energetic set. With the disco shimmer of ‘Stay Here’ and the heart-pounding anthem, ‘Shine’, the band proceeds to attack the show with as much enthusiasm as possible.
N.O.A.H’s performance was absolutely brilliant and a whole lot of fun. The crowd lapped up the performance, singing every song, embracing their friends and dancing without a care in the world. N.O.A.H are a band that showcase a diverse sound, limitless talent and ambition. The trio display a deep understanding of their craft that many artists would be envious of and their live performance is a wonderful explosion of their talent and charm.
N.O.A.H have released their new single ‘Stay Here’. I spoke with drummer Ronan Hynes about the new single, prospects of a new EP in the coming months and their upcoming gigs.
Hynes and I spoke after the band’s exciting Electric Picnic performance. With all the madness that goes on at the festival, the now hoarse drummer explained how well the show went down.
“Yeah, it was great. We went down on the Friday and we didn’t play until Sunday but we did a lot of networking between Friday and Saturday and then played on the Sunday and we were quite shocked at the amount of people that we got down, for the time anyway, because it was twenty to one, I think, on the Jerry Fish stage. So we felt that a lot of people would be hungover or wouldnt be at the festival yet so we were delighted to get around 200 odd people down to the tent at that hour so it went really well.
“To be honest it’s still one of those things to us, that’s kind of unusual. We’re still not used to that either. It feels great and obviously, it’s quite reassuring that we put a lot of work and a lot of effort into making music and trying to get it out there in the smartest way possible. So to realize that it’s connecting with people and they’re starting to feel the need to come and see us and check us out. It’s really special and we’re really taken aback by it. “
The band have self-produced ‘Stay Here’, with mixing and finessing by Grammy Winning Ruadhri Cushnan. We discussed how producing their own track gave the band confidence and empowered them.
“Yeah, I think it is quite empowering because when you’re working with producers and other people are involved in the process of songwriting or just the overall recording of a song, different people’s ideas can come in and sometimes it’s for the better and then sometimes, your own ideas may be the best for, a particular song. So yeah, definitely. This time around, being able to convey our own ideas and be confident in what we’re doing was really special to us because it is something that we are used to in terms of demos before we managed to get into the studio and a lot of the time because Adam, Adam studies music production in college so a lot of the time it is quite high quality to a point when we even wrote ‘Stay Here’, it was almost ready to be released. It just needed a little bit of cleaning up but not a lot, that makes us feel even better because it means that we can do this again and we can do it successfully again. So yeah, it certainly is empowering.“
“Yeah, and it’s super handy as well because one thing that we come up against quite a bit is time schedules. Sometimes it can be quite stressful for us when things are outside of our control. So the fact that we’ve released this and people have reacted in such a way to the song… that’s good for us. “
‘Stay Here’ is a groovy light tune filled with shimmering synths and ethereal melodies and shows a different side to the band’s sound. This subtle shift in sound keeps N.O.A.H’s music fresh and invigorating.
“It’s the progression, I suppose in ourselves and how we make songs, but it’s also an experimentation. Sometimes we want to show people of course that we’re not just a one-trick pony and we’ve said from the start that we don’t like being pigeonholed into one genre or one area of music. We like to explore and never let people know your next move kind of vibe you know, sometimes it might not work out, but we’re lucky enough so far, that it has been received quite well. In my own personal view of the song. It reminds me of, I suppose, because we’ve been learning, songwriting, production-wise and stuff like that it’s as if we wrote ‘Hands Up’ now that it’s almost like ‘Hands Up’s’ biggest brother. It’s on those vibes but yeah, it certainly is different. We want our fans to feel refreshed as well as ourselves, it’s for both parties really.”
There is a hypnotic synth melody running throughout the song and Hynes explained how that hook was the birth of the song.
“It literally started off with that kind of a loop and Ryan had his guitar going along with it. There was only probably around a 15-second loop between the guitar and that synth and all of a sudden it started to progress into something because we got a beat behind it. We got a lovely baseline from Adam, and it just started to expand and grow itself. In the end, it just grew legs and we had our Management and our PR saying that this is the single this is something that we need to release now. So yeah, it was actually rather quick, the way it grew and progressed and the last few singles that we’ve put out, haven’t necessarily been that easy in terms of how quickly they formed. So it was certainly a surprise to us, but it’s a good feeling as well because there’s nothing better than when a song comes together immediately and you’re just already excited to release it. But yeah, it did start from that strange little synth loop and progressed from there.“
‘Stay Here’ is a sweet and comforting track with lyrics that offer an unconditional, selfless vow to help a friend in need. Hynes explained to me how the band managed to create this soothing and comforting tone within the music to mirror the lyrics
“Usually how it works is the music always comes first. We all write lyrics and we all have our input once we have a theme and once we have something in which we can connect to but generally how we write songs would be that the music would come and then we will get the feeling from the music and that’s where our theme would then come in. Then we would go and start brainstorming how we were going to write it how we were going to project the overall message of the song and realistically with this song, it is something in which the lyricist observes and comforts a friend in need by giving themselves unconditionally without the need of recognition themselves. So we really wanted to bring out the human elements of the lyrics, and in some ways, it’s preaching what we all need to hear, because, we all have that friend or could be that friend within the story. That was something that we really wanted to convey to the listener. So yeah, it was really important in that way. We went for that soothing, and I suppose comforting elements of a story within these lyrics.”
N.O.A.H’s debut EP ‘Echoes of the Night’ grabbed the attention of those on the international music scene, not just the rock and noise genres. I wondered if the band felt pressure deciding what track would follow the success of that EP.
“I don’t think so, to be honest, because I think with the EP it came out and we’re always super excited for the next thing. We spend a long time working on things that come out and they’re brand new, but they’re not brand new to us. So we’re always moving on to the next idea and always the next step ahead. So for us, it’s more an excitement really. I think the only pressure to us is if we come up with an idea, and we look back and we don’t think it’s to a standard than say, you know, any of the songs on the EP, if we don’t feel that it could match one of them or fit into one of them then that’s where the pressure comes from a writing element. Other than that I think it’s more of an excitement really for us, we’re just excited for the next release. So we released this song on Friday, and we’re already thinking about the next one. So we’re quite happy. I suppose in a way we’ve got a short-term attention span when it comes to what we release because it’s just we’re always excited for the next thing.”
‘Stay Here’ feels like it is an appetizer for an EP or album to come and Hynes explained to me the band’s hopes for releasing music in the coming months.
“So we’re playing around with the idea of having an EP out by December. It’s not entirely confirmed as of yet but it is certainly something that the three of us are playing around with. In terms of an album, it would probably be this time next year before we get an album together because we do really want to sit down when it comes to an album and really spend time to get it all together and do it in a way that we’re happy with, that we can connect with. At the moment, we’re more needing to get ourselves out there on a live basis more so than constantly releasing studio songs. We still see ourselves as a small band and a band that’s still developing. So in order to do that, and in order to get more listeners, more fans, we need to be out there in front of people playing what we already have. So at the moment, it isn’t something that’s on the cards, album wise but certainly an EP you know, we are playing around with the idea. “
The past few months have also seen N.O.A.H dip their toes in the UK market. Working with Lander Pr the band secured regional UK radio play as well as their UK debut TV appearance on CBBC ‘Saturday Mashup’, the guys performed live on the show as well as taking part in games and comedy skits throughout. N.O.A.H also performed on Virgin Media Television’s 6′ O’Clock Show on May 27th. This opportunity gives the band more scope to gain fans and tour new places.
“Yeah, absolutely. You see all your peers and all the people you look up to, obviously they’re doing European tours, American tours and stuff like that and it certainly is something different when you can then turn around and see yourself getting on a plane to go play a gig. It’s something that’s quite surreal to us in a way. We can get in a car and go to Dublin and play a great gig and it feels good. But there’s something quite different about getting on a plane or a boat and going elsewhere to a different country and getting new fans over there. It certainly is exciting and with the UK market we certainly have been trying to get more and more vibes going over there. Thankfully, we have a PR company over there under Lander, so they’ve been helping us out quite a bit over there. So we’re really excited that we have a London gig and Manchester gig and a Glasgow gig coming up in November, and we’re really excited with that and then obviously to finish off those string of gigs in Whelan’s on the eighth of December is something that we’re extremely looking forward to because the last time we played there, the crowd was crazy. So we’re hoping that we can up that game even more to finish out the year. “
“I suppose it brings it all back, as I said, it’s quite surreal going to different countries and stuff like that to play. So then to bring it back to where we started, and almost bring it full circle again, it grounds us when we get there. But the crowd is the fourth member of our band so when they show up, it just makes it even more special for us and reminds us why we do it.”
N.O.A.H are building their sound superbly and fast becoming one of Ireland’s finest indie gems. ‘Stay Here’ is an intriguing glimpse of what’s to come from this talented band. Exciting times ahead.
N.O.A.H have released their new single ‘Stay Here’.’Stay Here’ was self-produced by the band, with mixing and finessing by Grammy Winning Ruadhri Cushnan. N.O.A.H comprises of three lifelong friends Ryan Hill, Adam Rooney, and Ronan Hynes. N.O.A.H formed back in January 2020, on the cusp of a global pandemic! (Great timing) After finishing in college (BIMM Dublin and MU) the group decided to reform an old musical endeavour. Obsessed with the idea of creating something new and a relentless desire to be heard, a fresh canvas was needed. Thus the band took inspiration in its naming from the biblical story of ‘Noah and the Ark’, the ultimate new beginnings story. Already N.O.A.H, have garnered thousands of streams, sold out multiple venues, signed with a major UK agency, supported The Coronas in Ulster Hall, played Main Stage at Sea Sessions 2022, and announced for Ireland’s leading festival Electric Picnic.
Draped in shimmering synths with an 80’s pop sheen ‘Stay Here’ is an emotive new single from N.O.A.H as the band delve into a new facet of their catchy indie sound. With a dreamy melody drifting atop glittering guitars, spongy beats and an irresistible bass groove the band have created a tune that boasts their tight musicianship and refined songwriting. It’s a sweet and comforting track with lyrics that offer an unconditional, selfless vow to help a friend in need. Ryan Hill croons,” I’ll take your pain if it means that you would stay here” over a supple warm melody while the bubbling backdrop creates an ethereal atmosphere throughout. Tender and earnest with a lush instrumental backdrop ‘Stay Here’ is a sublime glimpse into the boundless talent of N.O.A.H
Irish indie rock band N.O.A.H have released their new single, ‘The Wrong Side Of Town’. N.O.A.H comprises three lifelong friends Ryan Hill, Adam Rooney, and Ronan Hynes. The band formed in January 2020. After spending months writing, recording and developing as a band, N.O.A.H finally released their debut single ‘Shine’ in September 2020. The track picked up a lot of press, N.O.A.H even recorded an exclusive acoustic rendition of ‘Shine’ for radio presenter Laura Whitmore on BBC5 Live in the UK. Further interest was shown from stations such as RTE2 FM, Spin 1038 and Corks Red Fm achieving play-listings and earning various spots as ‘Track of The Week’. With word spreading fast and the ever-growing press, N.O.A.H signed with Natasha Bents’s newly founded Mother Artists Live Agency (Foster The People, Idles, CMAT). The band even made their first TV appearance on RTÉ Six One News to talk about their good news story and journey to date.
‘The Wrong Side of Town’ is a passionate indie rock track. N.O.A.H take a dazzling array of sonic textures and perfectly blends them with intricate, dynamic instrumentation to create a euphoric sound for listeners to immerse themselves in. There is much beauty to appreciate in N.O.A.H’s musicianship and ‘The Wrong Side of Town’ is a fine example of this; the band capture a sense of urgency through the use of driving basslines and dynamic synths while throughout the track smooth emotive vocals croon moving lyrics atop heart-stopping instrumentation. N.O.A.H’s instrumental prowess is becoming more refined and exciting with each release. These guys are ones to keep an eye on, each track they release is unforgettable and a wonderful hair-raising listening experience.
Breakout Irish rockers N.O.A.H have released their new single ‘The Way We Are Told’.This new single follows the highly regarded debut EP Echoes of the Night, which features collaborations with the likes of the Irish hip hop duo, Hare Squead as well as New Orleans style brass band Booka Brass. The EP was produced by the Grammy-Winning Ruadhri Cushnan in Camden Studios and mastered by John Davis of Metropolis studios London. With word spreading fast and the ever-growing press, N.O.A.H signed with Natasha Bents’ newly founded Mother Artists Live Agency (Foster The People, Idles, CMAT). The band even made their first TV appearance on RTÉ Six One News to talk about their story and quick rise within the industry.
Laced in passionate melodies and cinematic instrumentation, ‘The Way We Are Told’ boasts the mesmerising sound of N.O.A.H. The band surge warm Americana rock over a bubbling indie backdrop of sharp guitars, rippling drums and 80’s – esque synths to create a gripping listening experience. N.O.A.H’s sonically lush sound is boundless and boasts an array of genres and tantalizing textures for listeners to indulge in. On each subsequent listen the track’s lush soundscape reveals little musical gems throughout from emotive musicianship to compelling songwriting. ‘The Way We Are Told’ is an excellent example of fine musicianship; the production, arrangement, lyrics and vocals all blend together spectacularly. N.O.A.H is an exciting and immensely talented band to keep an eye on.
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.
N.O.A.H have returned with their new summer anthem, ‘Hands Up’. The track presents a very different sound from the band as they venture into a more summer pop style rather than the raw indie rock we experienced in their previous single ‘Darkest Hour’. I caught up with Adam Rooney to chat about the new single, N.O.A.H’s return to live shows and what we can expect from their upcoming debut EP.
“Well, we were always big fans of pop music in general and dance music to an extent. So, it was fairly natural. It wasn’t a conscious decision to change sound. We started working with a producer called Ruadhri Cushnan and he’s won a Grammy he’s worked with Ed Sheeran, Mumford and Sons, The Maccabees, and so many other amazing artists. His influence on our sound obviously is coming through too. He knows how to balance a song, and he brings the best out of all of us. We’re so lucky to work with him. We’re working on our EP at the moment with him, we have a few more tracks to finish up, and we’re ready to go.”
‘Hands Up’ is a sonically rich and well-balanced tune that boasts sweet pop sensibilities, refreshing instrumentation and a driving bassline.
“That song itself, started with a chord progression and a sample that we made. Basically, I was just messing around with Ableton on a sampler, and I had a vocal chop that Ryan did. So then I just heavily effected it, that became the lead melody line. Then it was a case of figuring out nice chord groups on top of that, figuring out a baseline, and once we had them three elements, the chord progression the baseline and the top melody, the rest of it was fairly fine. Lyrically, we all write our own lyrics, so we just put our general ideas together, and that came together in about a day as well, so fairly a quick process”
When N.O.A.H released their debut single ‘Shine’, they told me they had to record everything remotely due to the pandemic. Adam explained how the band have been working on the track since then.
“We had the demo for ‘Hands Up’ over a year ago. So we’ve been working on that. When we brought it to the studio with Ruadhri we probably had like fouror five days on that track, just finding the balance, bringing what needs to be up up, what needs to be down down, and slight tempo changes and that sort of thing.”
‘Hands Up’ marks a brighter and more upbeat shift in the bands sound. Even vocally, Ryan Hill takes a softer approach rather than his usual powerful delivery.
“Yeah, I think it was more to suit the song. It’s not really like a ballad-y song so we’re taking inspiration from bands like MGMT and even Irish bands at the moment like Wild Youth or even The Weeknd. So, singing in that nearly falsetto range for a period of the song I suppose that helps create suspense. It’s also not getting in the way of what’s going on musically either, I suppose yeah, it helps build the idea of suspense and release or tension and release. So the chorus is a bit more full-bodied and full-voiced vocally, and then the verses are a bit more restrained and pulled back.”
N.O.A.H are very much a modern band. They fuse elements of indie rock, pop, electronic and whatever else they feel to create their own incomparable style. With each release, fans eagerly wait to see what the band will do next as they are constantly evolving their sound.
“Yeah, thanks so much. We talk about this a lot you know are we a guitar band? I don’t know, we like electronics and synths and pop music as you’re saying as well so it’s a bit of a blend between a lot of things.”
The band have released a lyric video for ‘Hands Up’. The animation for the video was constructed from individual elements of artwork made by Rionagh McNamara, and it’s an impressive visual for sure.
“The artist who created the artwork for ‘Hands Up’, she’s doing the artwork for the EP, which is amazing. Her name is Rionagh McNamara. What she does is create art but the way she does it is she hand detailed the pieces, and she’ll work in a layer type fashion. So, when you look at the art for ‘Hands Up’ in minute detail, they’re all individual hand-cut little pieces that she then goesand layers on top. So once we had the digital render of each individual layer, we were able to get it animated. It brings a bit of continuity across from the artwork to the lyric video. It turned out really well.I was delighted with it. Even her description of the actual meaning within each individual part of the artwork is, it’s amazing. She brought her own unique perspective to that piece of work, you know”
To mark the release of ‘Hands Up’, N.O.A.H performed one of Ireland’s first indoor shows on July 24th at Solstice Arts Centre in Navan, which was also streamed live. Seen as the band’s debut was released during the pandemic, they hadn’t been able to perform these songs to a live in-person audience. Adam explained how exciting it is to finally be able to do gigs as N.O.A.H.
“Yeah, we had a gig in Navan in The Solstice Theatre. Since that’s a theatre we were allowed a reduced capacity of 50 people. So to be fair that felt like our first gig back. You could see people slightly, we had feedback, we heard people clap or cheer or sing along and things like that, so that was lovely and yeah we played in Mike The Pies, which was an outdoor gig, it was on the rooftop of Mike The Pies, which is such an iconic venue. It was amazing to play. We were supporting Josh McClorey, and he used to be in The Strypes, and that was an amazing night it was 25 people, but it was nice and intimate. It was great to actually get to see people and share experiences of live music.“
It’s an exciting time for N.O.A.H. The band have signed with Natasha Bents’ newly founded Mother Artists Live Agency (Foster The People, Idles, CMAT) and made their first TV appearance on RTÉ Six One News to talk about their story and quick rise within the industry.
“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. We’re very lucky to have all them experiences over the past year. It doesn’t fit the narrative of a lot of other musicians. We know we are quite lucky. Mother Artists, when we got that sort of lined up, that was a shock to all of us. We’re just happy that they saw something in us. We have a few announcements coming at the end of the summer too in line with them for 2022. But it’s pretty amazing even to be on television, it was great.”
N.O.A.H’s debut EP is set for release this October, and Adam told me what we could expect from the eagerly anticipated EP.
“There’s gonna be a few collaborations on it. Few more than what people have heard. It’s gonna be a long enough EP it’s not a short one. You can get it on vinyl. We’re delighted with it. We’re just in the last few finishing stages of it now. So it should be ready to go in the next week.”
N.O.A.H are an extremely talented band that strive to create diverse, richly textured and energetic tunes. They are crafting their sound superbly, providing a new and tantalizing listening experience with each release, ‘Hands Up’ is the perfect example of this. The song’s soundscape is filled with intricate guitar embellishments and lush electronics while the drum grooves and pulsing bass lines create a heart-fluttering sun-kissed element throughout. ‘Hands Up’ is an exciting teaser for the band’s upcoming EP.
N.O.A.H return with their new summer anthem, ‘Hands Up’. The highly anticipated track was produced by the Grammy-Winning Ruadhri Cushnan in Camden Studios and mastered by John Davis (The Killers,U2, Dua Lipa). To mark the release of ‘Hands Up,’ the band will perform one of Ireland’s first indoor shows on July 24th at The Solstice Theatre in Navan, which will also be streamed live. The band are currently working on their debut EP, ‘Echoes of the Night’, which is set to be released on vinyl on 1 October 2021, and will play their first headline show of 2021 in LostLane on 2 October, followed by another show in The Fiddler London on 8 October. The now Dublin-based band hail from County Meath, and comprise of lifelong friends Ryan Hill, Adam Rooney, and Ronan Hynes.
‘Hands Up’ is a refreshing burst of indie pop as N.O.A.H showcase their hook-filled musicianship in one irresistible gem. With bubbling synths, glistening guitars and shimmering beats, this bright, upbeat tune oozes luscious soundscapes and feel-good vibes. Smooth vocals drift over a dreamy melody while the jangly backdrop creates a humid intoxicating atmosphere for listeners to indulge in. N.O.A.H’s diverse and captivating sound is blossoming superbly with each release, and ‘Hands Up’ is a sublime example of their glorious upbeat pop. Press play and enjoy.
Stream ‘Hands Up’ below
Author: Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
