Noah - Noire

Format: LP
Catalogue No.: FLAU95
Barcode: 4582561395888
Release Date: 26 Aug 2022
Genre: Synth Pop

01: Twirling - Noah
02: Odette - Noah
03: Lamp - Noah
04: Back - Noah
05: Shadow - Noah
06: Gemini — Mysterious Lot - Noah
07: Cheshire - Noah
08: Voice - Noah
09: Summer Ends - Noah

Noah grew up in Hokkaido. Japan's northernmost island, it's an idyllic, snowy place—and a wild, harsh one, too. But it wouldn't be long until, after a stint of living in Aichi Prefecture, found herself living in the tangle of urban centres that is Tokyo. Her production has always been experimental, everchanging, drawing influences from a wide range of styles resulting in a sound that is uniquely her own. Whether it's an R&B feel or the lo-fi magic of vaporwave, her tracks resound with energy and beauty. And, always, her voice weaves like a phantom, emotive, through these exciting soundscapes. Noire is Noah's latest full-length release since 2019's Thirty. Since her debut on FLAU, she has garnered praise from dozens of blogs and media outlets including Dazed & Confused, The Guardian and NYLON, to name just a few, and has worked with producers such as SELA. and kidkanevil.

Directly helping Noah to hone the sound which eventually became 2019's Étoile, her most recent album Noire is a collection of past tracks created between 2015-2020. Through jazz-inflected piano loops and a lo-fi vaporwave sound, alongside carefully considered beats, Noah's latest album showcases the joy of finding freedom in staying up late into the night, and the introspection that comes with it.

This never-before-heard work from Noah is the sound of an artist finding themselves, a maturation. The minimalist tracks—a cocktail of late-night jazz meets Portishead—feature gorgeous space for Noah's crooning vocals to breathe among sprinklings of sampled piano, flute and saxophone. From the emotive line, "The things I've left behind…" on 'Shadow', to the sleepy, far-off sounds of opener 'Twirling', the album showcases a lightness and a sensitivity to self: the joy of night twinned with the inevitable introspection that comes with staying up while the world sleeps.

“A Japanese purveyor of heart-stopping, hauntingly dreamy electronic R&B…like some fantasy extrapolation of the new greats of avant-R&B: SZA + Kelela x Jhené Aiko cubed”
The Guardian —

“Noah’s music sounds like the soundtrack to a dream”
NYLON —

“Noah lays minimal classical piano with pattering beats and wispy, sure vocals – a beautiful spare song with a longing pull; one for warm hearths and hearts”
Dazed and Confused —

“softly glowing, neon-hued synthesis of vaporwave and Japanese city pop”
Gorilla vs Bear —

“faded neon homage to Tokyo”
Boiler Room 4:3 —

“an unhurried dreamlike grace…The blend is magical”
Under The Rader —

“encapsulating its kinetic energy with synth-streaked, lo-fi electronics and hazy late-night vocals”
The Line Of Best Fit —

“mystical ’80s pop minimalism meets glitzy vaporwave”
Bandcamp —

“Beautifully embodying a smoke-like vapour, Noah weaves emotive vibes from the ether”
Monolith Cocktail —

“really pretty”
Yaeji —