We Say…
A truly eclectic prospect, Noele Flowers has spent the last decade as a working musician in New York, whether it’s as a solo folk artist, as a member of the alt-country outfit choirgirl (not to be confused with Anglo-German jangle-poppers Chorusgirl), or as a regular fixture as a vocalist on the city’s choral and contemporary classical scenes. When you’re as busy as Noele has kept herself, it can be difficult to find time for yourself, but thankfully as she leaves her twenties behind, her solo project is coming sharply into focus. Back in February, Noele shared her latest EP, Wait For Me, and wasting no time she will return later this month with a new single, Electric Blanket.
Wait For Me is an intriguing collection of six songs that explore everything from the folk balladry of the title track to the surf-rock of Risk It. Within that variation though, there is always the imprint of the songwriter behind the song, as Noele explains, “I was learning a lot while I made this project and I wanted to use the things I was learning to help bring out the unique personality of each track”. Particularly excellent is the closing number Leaving Town, a six-minute plus slice of Americana that would fit neatly into the back catalogue of Courtney Marie Andrews or Jess Williamson and finds Noele exploring themes of moving on and forgiving your past-self, “don’t regret too much I’m still keeping up, I’m still growing up”. Electric Blanket marks something of a shift in Noele’s sound and was deliberately shared separately from the EP as a result. As Noele explains, “I strongly considered including it on “Wait for Me.” But in the end, all the songs on that project felt very forward-moving, daring, and ultimately hopeful. This song is a lot more about nostalgia and longing, the way we can really get sucked back into the comforts of the past”. The self-produced track also moves Noele Flower’s music forward, the song blurring the lines between acoustic instrumentation and processed electronic instruments, bringing a playful rhythmic quality to what is at its heart a wistful folk song. Further evidence, were it needed, that even a decade into her musical adventure, Noele Flowers remains very much an artist to watch.
They Say…
FTR: For those who don’t know who is Noele Flowers?
I’ve often considered giving my solo project a moniker, but I always end up going with my real name—Noele Flowers (a lot of people ask me if that’s a stage name, but it’s not!)—because it feels like it leaves more room for my music to grow and evolve just like I have and will continue to do. The first stuff I put out on bandcamp in college sounds way different than the stuff I’m making now, and I expect that to be true in a year, five years, etc. My music can lean in the direction of folk, pop, rock, and even alt-country at times. But, the throughline of my music that will probably never change is that I care a lot about lyrics and vocals.
FTR: What can you remember about your first show?
I actually remember my first show as a solo songwriter pretty vividly—it was at a venue that’s now closed in the west village in New York called The Path Cafe when I was 20. I was super nervous but I ended up having a great time. Not much has changed in that sense—I still get nervous before shows, but most of the time they end up making me feel super connected to the people that come and to my friends that I share the stage with. I’ll probably be going, “why am I making myself do this” the hour before a show and then going, “wow that was the best thing ever” the hour after for a looooong time.
FTR: Why do you make music? Why not another art form?
Probably because music is the art form that has the biggest emotional impact on me personally—that’s definitely not the case for everyone but for me, music has been a huge part of my life since childhood so it’s become one of the biggest ways that I process and express my feelings. A lot of times the things I write in songs are very literally the only and first way I’ve expressed the idea at all, and sometimes my songs are an actual form of communicating something to someone in my life that I don’t otherwise have the ability to say. Like my song “Wait for Me” that’s the title track of my new EP is all about asking my now partner to give me some time before committing to a relationship. Writing that song and playing it for him was literally my way of telling him that and expressing some of those feelings—there’s a similar story behind a lot of my songs. Generally though, I really care about making songs that help other people step into emotional spaces that they might not otherwise know how to embody or occupy because that’s what music does for me a lot of the time.
FTR: What can people expect from the Noele Flowers live show?
I play most of my shows with my songwriting partner and my best friend, Randle Browning, as my lead guitarist and backup vocalist. The first time Randle and I played together was at an open mic at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn, and I remember we set ourselves up on stage basically with our mics and guitars facing each other rather than the audience, and the person who was running the event remarked on that to us afterwards—like he hadn’t really seen a lot of people who didn’t have one “front person.” I think that sense of sharing the stage with my friends and really having an experience on stage that’s mostly about connecting with them and playing to each other is one of the most important things to me about performing—I think it creates space for audience members to connect with their friends, too. As a concert goer myself I’d much rather watch a group of friends have fun together on stage than play a technically perfect show—that’s the environment I try to create.
FTR: What’s next for Noele Flowers?
I have a single coming out on May 26th called Electric Blanket—if you want to get notified of that when it drops, you should follow me on Instagram. In addition to being a songwriter, I’m also a producer (I self-produced my whole EP), so I’m currently working on producing Randle (Browning)’s EP as well. I’ve also started working on an album, but I’m kind of in the early stages of that—writing, making demos, and having long conversations with my collaborators. That’ll probably be a year or so down the line.
They Listen To…
Olivia Barton – Good Day
I’ve had this album on repeat all year (it’s starting to really bug my partner because it’s the ONLY thing I want to play in the car). Olivia is such an incredible songwriter and singer and kind of exemplifies a lot of the things I try to capture in my music—really tasteful productions that enhance the song, but are ultimately focused on letting you hear and feel the lyrics and the vocals. I’m hoping Olivia sees this and comes to play a show here in the Hudson Valley and I can open for her, ha!
illuminati hotties – For Cheez (My Friend, Not The Food)
I’m an enormous fan of Sarah Tudzin, she’s a producer and illuminati hotties is her project. I actually named my dog Cheez after this song! I’m incredibly inspired by how she can be so sincere and so playful in her music at the same time—her music really pushes me to make stuff that feels like a full expression of myself.
Randle Browning – Need This
I mentioned above this song is by my best friend, and this is a song I co-produced with my partner for her. She’s also working on an EP right now that I’m producing and her songs are so good and I can’t wait for people to hear them!
Jules Olson – Cold
Jules and I both live in the Hudson Valley and we played a local show together lately—this is one of her recent releases and I can’t get it out of my head.
Laura Marling – Song For Our Daughter
I’ve been listening to Laura Marling for like, 15 years. She’s one of those artists that I just feel like has continued to give me exactly the right music in exactly the moments I need it. I love this song which is the title track from her most recent record—I’m convinced Joni Mitchell’s “Court and Spark” is a big inspiration for this whole record.
Electric Blanket is out May 26th for more information on Noele Flowers visit https://www.instagram.com/noeleflowers/.
For The Rabbits 